19 October

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Tobago Business Chamber urges PSC: Reveal criteria to assess top police

AS murders and other violent crimes continue unabated, the Tobago Business Chamber is calling on the Police Service Commission (PSC) to reveal publicly the criteria by which the performance of the Police Commissioner and her executive team are assessed. “As crime continues to spiral out of control and the murder rate continues to skyrocket, we, in Trinidad and Tobago need to all take a mature, responsible, sober look at what we are doing in terms of our fight against crime and what we can do better to improve our effectiveness and efficiency in terms of stemming the bloodletting and the tide...

17 October

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Chamber head: Urgent action needed to rebuild public trust in police

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Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce president Kiran Maharaj believes while action is needed to combat people parading as police to perpetrate crimes, urgent action is also required to restore the public's confidence and trust in the service. In a phone interview with Newsday, Maharaj described recent incidents as "beyond worrying." "This is striking fear into the hearts of citizens, where the trust we have in the police service who are supposed to protect us and the country is being totally eroded." She believes the police should implement and educate the public on protocols they should follow to help verify if...

16 October

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Martin George vows to revitalise Tobago Crime Stoppers

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CHAIRMAN of the Tobago Business Chamber Martin George is saddened by the scourge and horror of crime which he said is bedeviling Tobago. On October 13, police began investigating the death of a 42-year-old Cunupia man whose body was found at the beach near the ANR Robinson International Airport in Crown Point. Marcus Archer, originally from Bejucal Road, worked with a contracting company in Tobago, and was last seen by colleagues at around 6 pm on October 12 when he was leaving work. His body was found with a chop wound to the neck. Police were called when a homeless man who lives near...

16 October

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Cunupia man, 42, found dead near Tobago airport

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POLICE are investigating the death of a 42-year-old Cunupia man whose body was found at the beach near the ANR Robinson International airport in Tobago on October 13. Marcus Archer, originally from Bejucal Road, was employed with a contracting company in Tobago. He was last seen by colleagues at around 6 pm on October 12 when he was leaving work. His body was found with a chop wound to the neck and investigators have ruled out gang affiliation as a motive. Police were called when a homeless man who lives near the beach found Archer’s body at around 8 am and told a bather. Police...

24 September

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Chamber head laments 24 murders, poor policing: Tobago – Paradise lost

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"A paradise lost" is how chairman of the Tobago Business Chamber Martin George described Tobago in the wake of two murders on the island over the weekend. He was speaking at the Citizens’ Summit on Crime and Violence at the TML grounds in St Joseph on Sunday, after Brandon Edwards was killed on Friday and Nicholas Mitchell was killed early on Sunday morning. “Tobago is now facing 23 murders and there was a murder in the last 24 hours again. The place that we used to say was 'safe,' the smallest division of the TTPS, apparently that is now being lost. It...

24 September

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Tobago Business Chamber wants a further police shake-up

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With another murder just days after the hierarchy of the Tobago Division of the T&T Police Service (TTPS) was changed, the chairman of the Tobago Business Chamber Martin George is calling for a further shake-up of the police on the island. George, who attended the Citizen’s Summit on Crime and Violence at the TML Hall, St Joseph, yesterday, said replacing acting ACP Collis Hazel and Snr Supt Rodhill Kirk with ACP Oswain Subero and Snr Supt Earl Elie two weeks ago was the first step in the right direction. “That is a start, definitely. You can’t keep doing the same thing over...

24 September

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Citizens speak out at symposium: People feel helpless against criminals

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Citizens spoke out against crime and criminality on Sunday at the Citizens’ Summit on Crime and Violence at the TML Grounds in St Joseph. There were presentations from a panel including former UNC MP Dr Bhoendradatt Tewarie, Mirza Ali-Mohammed, chairman of the Tobago Business chamber Martin George, Ricardo Mohammed, Marva John Logan, Isa Mohammed and pastor Clive Dottin. Citizens then voiced their concerns about the crime situation and what they believed could be done about it. Economist Indera Sagewan said Trinidad and Tobago's people are voiceless and feel helpless, not just against crime but against those in authority. “When you say we have...

21 September

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Farley not hopeful Tobago will be treated well

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Tobago stakeholders are bracing for disappointment in the 2025 Budget, citing years of reduced allocations in comparison to their requests. Chief Secretary Farley Augustine yesterday said the island should expect another dose of unfair treatment when the fiscal package is delivered on September 30. “I am not hopeful that the budget measures will redound to the rebounding of the economy. Not hopeful that the measures he will present will provide for peace, safety and security for all. Not hopeful that the budget will cause citizens to hope for a brighter future. Not hopeful that Tobago will be treated well in the measures...

17 September

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Stakeholders on police shake-up: New strategies needed to tackle crime in Tobago

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STAKEHOLDERS on September 14 welcomed the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service’s decision to reassign to Trinidad the two most senior officers in the Tobago Division. They say although ACP Collis Hazel and Snr Supt Rodhill Kirk did their best in difficult circumstances to manage the island’s escalating crime situation, the nature of the scourge required a different, more aggressive approach. Tobago has to date recorded an unprecedented 22 murders for 2024. Hazel and Kirk, both of whom are from Tobago, were transferred to the Tactical Unit and Southern Division, respectively, as part of a promotion and reassignment exercise last week. They are...

17 September

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Tobago top cops removed in shake-up

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Acting Commissioner of Police Collis Hazel and Senior Supt Rodhill Kirk have been removed from their posts at the helm of the T&T Police Service’s Tobago Division. But while Hazel could not confirm the news yesterday, Kirk did, saying he had given crime-fighting efforts on the island his best try. In a phone interview, Kirk thanked Tobagonians for their support. He lamented, “Tobago is a unique division, meaning that to operate in the Tobago space, you have to have a level of the Tobago culture.” Kirk said he accepted the decision made by the TTPS administration and was contented that he’d done his best...