The system has failed, says a father of nine whose first born son left home to meet a friend in the Maracas St Joseph area and was found murdered in Morvant the following morning.

Chris Simon, 51, told the media at the Forensic Science Centre, St James yesterday that all he could do now was have faith in God that he and his family would get justice after his son, Christopher Simon, was found murdered at Poinsettia Drive Morvant on Wednesday morning. 

Residents had reported hearing gunshots the night before. 

“The system failed me. I have nothing to say other than that. I not pointing no fingers, the man above I leave everything to his hand. 

“I not going to see any man on the block and say boy I hear it’s you because I am not that kind of man. 

“I stand up with my son and provide for them and go the distance with them. But this… this hard… this is my first boy” Simon said.

The father of nine, seven sons, said his firstborn received a phone call and left his Maracas, St Joseph home without telling his grandmother where he was going or with whom. 

The next day, Simon said, he went to see his son and other children but was told his first born was not seen since the day before and no one heard from him that day. 

He denied reports that his child was involved in any criminal activity, adding that his son did roofing for a living. 

“I don’t know why anyone would do this. But I would say he was never in this gang thing, so I don’t know what trigger this. 

“He never come with complaints. He don’t resemble anyone who might be a criminal from the area neither. I just holding faith and be strong,” Simon said.

Members of the Defence Force have been encouraged to relax their stance when interacting with members of the public.

Defence Force Chaplain Ashton Gomez made the call as he addressed a service at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Port-of-Spain, commemorating the 54th anniversary of the T&T Regiment yesterday.

Stating the public’s assistance was vital in the fight against crime, Gomez appealed to soldiers to be more friendly when performing joint patrols with the police.

“Is it illegal for soldiers to say good morning and good afternoon? Certainly not!” Gomez said.

“People should not fear you, they should respect you. Fear and respect are two different things,” he added as he suggested that polite interactions would encourage people to provide vital intelligence to the protective services.

Gomez also called on the Government to include more local history in schools as he said that there were many unnamed heros who served during the 1990 Attempted Coup, who many citizens would never know about.

“We know about European and American History but we have now learnt that some things we thought about our history were not true,” Gomez said.

Commander of the Regiment Colonel Dexter Francis also spoke during the service and encouraged his officers to continue to work together to improve the organisation.

“There must be reflection and introspection. We have to examine the past and know where we come from in order to be better for citizens,” Francis said.

He also said in addition to assisting with national security, the organisation would continue to nature at risk youths and assist with their growth and development.

Battle for No Man’s Land.

That is what is shaping up on all fronts—from Government to the Clico owners of the property—as the spotlight continues to increase on one of the last pristine pieces of beachfront in the English-speaking Caribbean.

It is now a particularly significant chip in T&T’s tourism portfolio following interest by Jamaican “Sandals” chain magnate Gordon “Butch” Stewart.

However, CL Finance majority shareholder Lawrence Duprey, who said yesterday he will use all legal measures to fight for the property—owned by Clico subsidiaries—also said he has been holding talks over the last 18 months with a major global brand name resort developer which also wants No Man’s Land.

And which he said was a bigger name than Sandals.

“We’ll protect our constitutional rights,” Duprey added. “The way things are going, we must guard against undemocratic action, so we’re prepared for court—any court anywhere—to protect what we have to.” 

No Man’s Land is part of the Golden Grove estate at Bon Accord Lagoon, Buccoo. The estate, including environmentally important wetlands, comprises between 429.8 and 517 acres of freehold land owned by Clico subsidiaries, Occidental Investments Ltd (OIL) and Oceanic Properties Ltd (OPL).

In an increased T&T tourism thrust, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has spearheaded moves for exploration of a possible Tobago Sandals development arguing that a brand name will earn significant benefits for Tobago tourism and increase hotel rooms by 750. 

On June 25, Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Tourism Secretary Tracey Davidson Celestine was reported as saying the THA had had four meetings with Sandals founder/chairman Stewart. At the end of June, Government announced an eight-member team led by onetime PNM minister Wendell Mottley to pursue and handle all negotiations for the Sandals project.

In a Trinidad Guardian July 4 article, Stewart revealed a preference for No Man’s Land (NML), adding if it did not work out, he would examine another. But he said he had looked around Tobago and had not found another. Projecting development in three years or so, he had confirmed Rowley approached him to bring the Sandals chain to Tobago in 2015 before Rowley won the general election, and contacted him after winning.

At the PNM’s July 13 Tobago Council executive election, Rowley maintained the call for a Tobago Sandals development, noting the benefits it could bring. A July 14 Business Guardian story revealed the NML area was owned by Clico subsidiaries.

Replying to T&T Guardian queries on NML, on July 16, Finance Minister Colm Imbert said the land at Golden Grove was a “non-issue,” confirming, “The land is owned by Clico.”

Imbert said: “If and when an agreement is reached with Sandals for the construction of a resort at that location, the land will simply be acquired by the Government. This can be done in many ways. It can be sold to the Government and the proceeds of sale netted off against the amount owed by Clico to the Government, or it can simply be purchased.”

Imbert said the situation was not a “big deal” and has nothing to do with Duprey.” He said the project was still at the conceptual stage.

Imbert, who said negotiations are about to begin, said: “If and when agreement is reached by all parties, designs will be finalised and all relevant issues addressed at that time.”

Duprey: I have no ties with Sandals

Subsequently contacted, Duprey made it clear he had no ties with the Sandals proposal, nor is he giving his blessing to acquisition of the estate.

Rather, Duprey said he has been negotiating with a global investor comprising combined US and European interests concerning a proposed US$3.5 billion resort for the Golden Grove estate/NML. 

He said the developers involve a “major brand name in the world market” but are not yet in the Caribbean and the brand was “way above Sandals’.”

“The NML is likely the last pristine beachfront in the English-speaking Caribbean and is uniquely high value over other resorts because of the Nylon Pool, hence our developers’ interest in investing such a sizeable sum.

“The group whose name I cannot publicise at this point has developed ventures in environmentally-sensitive areas and it’s one of the reasons we’re talking. In the 1990s, Clico had developed Buccoo Reef using money from the profitable Methanol plant in protecting environmentally important projects. The reef was one of three, but we weren’t able to continue. If we get permission to build, that protection (of Buccoo Reef) can resume. Any developer will have to be extremely careful to protect the reefs as they’re now global watch after being destroyed.”

Duprey said the number of rooms for the proposed resort will depend on Town and Country Planning permission. 

He acknowledged a Certificate of Environmental Clearance for the spot had lapsed since 2009 and would have to be renewed and efforts towards that would start soon.

On Tobago environmentalists’ concerns that NML should remain pristine, Duprey said, plans to dialogue with groups and communities and involving them would be done.

No Man’s Land worth $2bn

The Mottley team mandated to pursue negotiations for a Sandals development project has met only once, T&T Guardian confirmed last Friday, and is now “getting together.” Mottley was said to be overseas.

The team does not yet officially know what location will be pursued for Sandals, but expects that information “as soon as it’s finalised.” It was noted Government gets ten per cent on every hotel room fee and room expansion would benefit T&T revenue.

But former Clico executive official Claudius Dacon said, government’s “unilateral” proposed Sandals development for NML “is being conducted without consultation or permission from its rightful owners.”

He said: “It’s been more than seven years since Clico management approached Central Bank and Government, seeking clarification on its strategy for dealing with the domestic implications of the global disaster. But new laws were hastily drafted and enacted enabling the Government to seize control of Clico and CL Financial without the courts’ permission and virtually no accountability.

“Sale of MHTL shares alone at a price of less than 50 per cent of its market value made the Statutory Fund solvent (as was said in 2015). Other assets have increased in value by over a staggering $14 billion (as the Finance Minister said this month). Now the anticipated development of a hotel by Sandals exposes the hidden value of another of Clico’s investments.”

Saying No Man’s Land (NML) is a significant piece of Tobago real estate, he said: “But it belongs to a wholly owned subsidiary of Clico and the value now placed on NML/estate is approaching $2 billion. Such a valuation makes Clico solvent even on the basis of Minister Imbert’s strange assertion in the Senate recently.

“This is because the wholly-owned subsidiary of Clico that holds title to the land is valued in the latest accounts at an unbelievable $18 million...

“Armed with this information as they surely are, the minister and Central Bank governor should move immediately to relinquish Section 44 control of Clico. If the conditions that gave rise to the control have ceased to exist, as they have, then by virtue of the same Central Bank Act, control must be relinquished. 

“Continued use of the powers granted under then act might well be unlawful particularly in this case to the continuing sale of assets. What is worse is that many other assets are believed to be similarly undervalued...(but) Clico is solvent. It needs to be taken off the backs of taxpayers...”

Clico owners already turn down WASA bid

Already, Clico subsidiary owners of the estate, Occidental Investments Ltd and Oceanic Properties Ltd, have rejected an offer by the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) to purchase some of its lands for $4.6 million for a proposed sewerage system for south-west Tobago, according to June 2016 documents 

These state that only 23 per cent of the overall acreage (120 acres) has been approved by the Town and Country Planning Division for development. “The remaining lands are deemed environmentally reserved lands (wet lands).”

WASA had indicated in 2013 it intended to install a wastewater treatment system in south-west Tobago and requested that OIL and OPL transfer to it certain parcels of land. 

But Clico commissioned a valuation of the proposed parcels of lands to be transferred to WASA and in April 2016, GA Farrell and Associates valued them at $7 million.

By letter dated June 8, 2016, to Clico’s executive chairman, WASA offered to pay $4,555,855 for the land.

Documents stated: “The Boards of Occidental Investments Limited and Oceanic Properties Limited having considered both the WASA offer and GA Farrell valuation have decided the WASA offer is too low and should be rejected. The Boards also decided a letter be issued to WASA advising of their decision and to indicate that our asking price is $7 million.”

Lambeau Tobago resident Dedan Daniel, who started a petition to preserve NML, has called for the THA to give full disclosure on any Sandals development and host public discussions. His petition has 2,113 signatures of the targeted 2,500. The THA subsequently stated the petition was premature.

THA Chief Secretary Orville London has reportedly said NML will remain a public space. Yesterday, THA Tourism adviser Neil Wilson said Tobago needs a brand name development. 

“Since we lost Hilton we’ve lost arrivals.” He said NML was a spit of land and he was uncertain if it could accommodate a hotel, but felt the allure of the area was its name.

Duprey mum on Colman report

Duprey was asked about the hints from government officials about the contents of the Colman report on the Clico/HCU Commission of Enquiry which included “serious allegations of misconduct on the part of a handful of privileged few, who were part of Clico management.”

Duprey said, “We didn’t perform any egregious actions. We had no criminal intent. It was a privately owned company and we ran it as such.”

He declined comment on whether the report should be published or laid in full in Parliament and queries about Government urging the Director of Public Prosecutions to act speedily on the report. Duprey said there had been no reply from Central Bank or Government to his April letters outlining plans to seek to regain control of the Clico companies.

Margaret Sampson-Browne has stepped down as head of the T&T Police Service’s Victim and Witness Support Unit.

Sampson-Browne, who is currently on vacation, has signalled her intention not to return as manager of the unit.

Over the past five years, Sampson-Browne has become the face of the TTPS’ Victim and Witness Support Unit and her decision to leave has now sparked fears about the future of the unit.

The Sunday Guardian contacted Sampson-Browne on the situation.

“I am on vacation and my vacation is ending in the middle of August and I am enjoying my vacation,” Sampson-Browne said.

Asked whether she will be returning to her post as manager of the TTPS’ Victim and Witness Support Unit following her vacation, Sampson-Browne said “No, I will not be.

“I am just weighing my options. I am just enjoying whatever vacation I have after 46 years, and I am weighing my options as to what I want to do and how I want to do it,” she said.

Sampson-Browne was appointed the manager of the TTPS Victim and Witness Support Unit in June 2011.

Before being appointed to the post she served more than 40 years in the TTPS and rose to the rank of assistant police commissioner.

She has a Bachelor of Science degree (honours) in Social Work and a Master of Philosophy in Gender Studies from the University of the West Indies.

These achievements made Sampson-Browne the “ideal candidate” for the role of the unit’s manager.

The Sunday Guardian attempted unsuccessfully to contact acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams for a comment on the situation.

More info

The TTPS Victim and Witness Support Unit was established in 2008, and over the past few years the demand for its services has been rapidly growing.

The unit was established as a space where victims and witnesses could express their feelings confidentially following the trauma experienced from crime.

Its primary objectives are:

1. To educate clients and other stakeholders with the intention of minimising the risks of secondary victimisation.

2. To collaborate with other agencies with the aim of enhancing the unit’s policies and programmes.

3. To develop a network system to harmonise governmental and non-governmental initiatives which promote victim and witness support.

4. To assist in promoting respect for the human dignity of victims through their interaction with all elements of the Police Service and by extension the criminal justice system.

A Victim and Witness Support Unit is located in all nine divisions of the Police Service and at selected police stations throughout the country, including Sangre Grande, Arouca, Morvant, Carenage, Chaguanas, San Fernando, Anti-Kidnapping & Homicide, Penal and Tobago.

The unit is said to assist over 2,000 victims a year.

What started off as an expedition at sea for members of the media investigating the recent fish kill at Mosquito Creek, yesterday morning, turned into a mission to rescue a drowning man from the same waters. 

However, by the time the body of the elderly man of East Indian descent was pulled from the water, little could be done to save his life. He was pronounced dead on arrival at the San Fernando General Hospital. 

The traumatic turn of events began around 9.05 am yesterday while CNC3 cameraman Ivan Toolsie, CTV’s Che Teekasingh, and T&T Guardian’s reporter and photographer Sharlene Rampersad and Rishi Ragoonath, were at the Creek, waiting to speak with Fisherman and Friends of the Sea (FFOS) secretary Gary Aboud, his research officer Alain Tang Choon and activist Edward Moodie.

Toolsie and Ragoonath spotted an unidentified man floating out to sea from beneath the Godineau bridge. The man appeared to be waving his hands for help, while bobbing in the water. 

He was about 30 feet away from the shoreline at the time. 

Within minutes, the boat that was supposed to take the group out to sea arrived and the media personnel, along with Aboud, Tang Choon and Moodie, set off to try to find the man. 

Boat captain, Hosanie, followed the current and in about four minutes Teekasingh spotted the man floating face up in the water and called out to him. There was froth coming from his mouth and he was not responsive.

Moodie and Tang Choon quickly pulled his body into the boat and Moodie, who said he is CPR certified, began trying to save the man’s life. 

Aboud contacted an ambulance while Hosanie pointed the boat back to the shoreline. 

Moodie continued trying to resuscitate the man for over ten minutes before breaking down in exhaustion and grief. 

He wept openly for the man, calling on Allah to bless his soul. 

When the paramedics arrived, they attached a defibrillator to the man, whose body was still in the boat. They transferred him to the ambulance, before transporting him to the SFGH where he was pronounced dead on arrival. 

Police officers from the Oropouche Police Station responded and interviewed several people, including one man who claimed to have seen the victim jump off the bridge. 

The eyewitness, who identified himself only as Smallie from Princes Town, said he saw the victim jump off the right side of the bridge but did not think much of it. 

Smallie said he was fishing with his family and saw the man pass in the swirling water, before he disappeared in the open sea. 

Police need help to identify victim

Up until late yesterday, the man was not identified and Southern Division police have called on members of the public who may have any information on his identity to come forward. 

The man was of East Indian descent, appeared to be in his late 60s and was wearing an olive green T-shirt with black stripes and a blue short pants. He was barefooted and had a greying moustache and short grey hair. 

San Fernando police are continuing investigations.

Four people were murdered in separate incidents yesterday over a seven-hour period, pushing the number of people killed since Thursday to six.

Among those shot dead yesterday are a robbery victim, the victim of a bar brawl and a man who was walking his three-year-old nephew to a shop.

Dead are Isaiah Hospedales, 22, Jude Corbie, 23, and 50-year-old Alston Hamlet. 

Hospedales’ mother, Avian, always warned him about wearing big gold chains because she feared that they would attract unwanted attention to him.

As it turned out, she was right.

Hospedales, 22, was yesterday morning shot dead by a gun-toting bandit who took his chain while he was walking along Ariapita Avenue.

While Hospedales lay on the pavement fighting for his life, he was robbed even further by people pretending to help him.

Hospedales’ gold band, gold ring and Apple iPhone were also stolen.

Around 5.50 am, yesterday, Hospedales was walking along Ariapita Avenue when he was approached by a gunman near Alfredo Street.

Ariapita Avenue has become a popular liming spot in the country and Hospedales’ shooting came in daylight with people still around. Hospedales was shot three times and the gunman escaped in a waiting vehicle.

Hospedales was rushed to the hospital where he eventually died.

Video footage of Hospedales lying on the pavement was yesterday posted on Facebook.

Hospedales was a student at the T&T Hospitality and Tourism Institute (TTHTI) and also worked at his family’s catering business.

The Sunday Guardian yesterday visited the family’s Aranguez home.

Hospedales was described as a “loving and respectful young man” who was “full of confidence” by his family.

Hospedales’ father, Robin, said his son’s “only vice is that he liked himself.”

“He never used to go places where he felt that things he wore would cause him harm because I saw him last week with the big chain and I did not tell him anything about it. I know his mother always used to tell him about it, and other people who were concerned, that wearing that would attract unwanted attention toward him,” Robin said.

“It was shocking to me because I know he does not venture into places where bad things will happen,” he said.

Robin said his son “loved life” and was Avian’s “eyeball.”

Avian said she will forever love her only son.

The latest shooting to take place yesterday occurred at 8.15 am in Belmont.

According to reports, Corbie was walking with his three-year-old nephew along Pelham Street in Belmont to a nearby shop when he was approached by a gunman.

The gunman opened fire and Corbie died on the spot.

Snr Supt Mc Donald Jacob said investigators are working on the theory that Corbie’s killing was linked to a recent dispute he had with another man.

Corbie’s nephew was not injured in the shooting.

The first of the shootings to take place yesterday happened in Arima following a bar brawl.

According to reports, Hamlet was at Pro Bar along Malabar Branch Road, when he got into a confrontation with two men.

The confrontation is said to have stemmed from advances made by Hamlet to a female patron of the bar.

Following the confrontation the two men are said to have left the scene.

They, however, returned a short while later and allegedly shot Hamlet.

The men escaped and Hamlet died on the spot.

Apart from these three shooting deaths, detectives are also investigating the report of another homicide in Chaguanas.

Around 6.30 am, yesterday, officers of the Chaguanas Police Station received information that the body of a man was discovered in the living room of his Yard Street, Chaguanas, home.

The man was found lying on the ground and frothing from his mouth.

The district medical officer ruled that there were marks of violence about his body.

These four killings come on the heels of two deaths that took place since Thursday.

Terrence Cain, 45, was shot dead at the Real Steal Bar in De Gannes Village, Siparia, around 3.20 am on Friday.

On Thursday, taxi driver Kurt Levero was stabbed to death in Marabella at 9.20 pm.

A six-year-old girl stops running around the yard in her Johnson Street, Enterprise, home and trains her eyes on a gun held by a police officer patrolling the area.

Turning to the nearest adult, the child asks: “The police going to shoot we?”

Her friends all stop playing and watch as the officers walk by.

Their main interaction with police officers are news reports and conversations about police killing a criminal, or being told by parents that police will come for them if they don’t behave.

As the police walk past, the children continue their playing, become lively again, running around a rough piece of rope, oblivious to the tensions caused by high criminal activity in their community.

In August 2011, Enterprise was labelled a crime hot spot by the Ministry of National Security following an upsurge in murders, police killings and gang activities.

Even before 2011, the community was plagued with social problems, such as inadequate infrastructural development, lack of public utilities, high numbers of single-parent homes, and a lack of job opportunities.

In the middle of the day, groups of children sit under trees, or on street corners playing or talking while cars drive by. There are few adults supervising and when asked about their parents, the children casually reply that their mother or father was at work.

The community began as a squatter’s settlement, with the majority of homes being built in an ad hoc manner in the 1950s and 1960s as the Chaguanas Borough grew in both size and economic activity.

The community, located in Chaguanas East, is divided into Enterprise North and Enterprise South, each spanning long stretches of the Southern Main Road and connecting through a series of streets to other parts of the large borough and to east Trinidad.

In Enterprise, the voting population is around 21,000 with an estimated living population of about 30,000 people, more than a quarter of the total population in the borough.

A T&T Sunday Guardian team visited several parts of the community, including Chrissie Terrace, Crown Trace, Johnson Street, Enterprise Street and Freedom Street last week, following the shooting of resident crime boss Selwyn “Robocop” Alexis last week Sunday.

Very few people in the community were willing to speak to the Guardian, as they feared retribution by criminal elements, and those who agreed refused to speak about the area’s crime problems.

Where most communities seek media attention over failure by local and central government to deliver on needs, residents were hesitant to complain or answer questions.

When they did though, they were quick to lay the problems regarding crime to neglected youth in the area.

“These young boys need jobs because they are on the road whole day but then again, these boys don’t want to work. They want the money but they don’t want to have to go to work,” said a 63-year-old woman who did not want to be named.

I’ll call her Esther—not her real name, of course. Esther, like a few other older people on the roads within Enterprise, sat outside her home in the afternoon heat and watched the activity in front of her home.

There are no industries in the area, and unlike the populated Chaguanas Main Road, Montrose, Felicity and Endeavour areas have very few businesses.

A few straighteners, painters and garages are scattered about the communities, but the majority of residents work in the heart of Chaguanas, which is a major business hub, or in Port-of-Spain.

The majority of people living in the community earn minimum wage, according to a source at the Chaguanas Borough Corporation.

Esther has lived in the heart of Enterprise for the past 41 years, having moved there with her husband in 1975.

“When I moved here people were just looking for a life. We used to raise cows and sell the milk. We used to know everybody business and talk about it openly.

“Now isn’t like that. We still know things but it is better to keep quiet.”

Esther said she had no complaints about her community. She has made adjustments to cope with the changes.

She no longer leaves her home before sunrise to go to the market. She goes to bed at 7 pm and stays inside whether she hears gunshots or cheers.

Esther still claims she is not worried about being harmed in her community despite noting that people frequently get robbed on Johnson Street, where she resides.

“When I look outside, the most these fellas do is drink rum and play cards. They gamble and drink and don’t disturb anybody.

“It’s the younger ones that are the problem,” she says. “They don’t care about anyone. They have no respect.”

It’s a view one police officer shared during a patrol of the area on Thursday.

“About 90 per cent of the people who live here are peaceful and loving people,” said Sergeant Thompson of the 500 Patrol, from the Chaguanas Police Station.

Thompson, who grew up in central Trinidad, is familiar with the area and has friends and family who live there.

“The crime now is different and worse than ten years ago.”

Sergeant Thompson said there was a certain recklessness and disregard for authority displayed by the younger men and women in the Central neighbourhoods.

“A lot of the things that are happening are because the younger gang members are breaking away from the older ones,” Thompson said.

“One of our assignments is to visit the secondary schools and a lot of the children there can’t read or write but they sell marijuana and tax other students.

“The young ones are learning but they are not learning the right things.”

In the past year, former head of the Central Division of the T&T Police Service increased patrols in the area in an attempt to decrease crime.

Residents said this had helped, but brazen daylight shootings in the area, videos showing young men with weapons shooting bullets into the sky, and the recent triple murder in the community paints a different picture.

“It’s dangerous living here,” said 16-year-old Faith.

A student at ASJA Girls College, Faith would, in the past, leave home at 5 am every day to go to school.

“I don’t do that anymore. I know how dangerous it is. It’s stupid but I make sure and wait until the sun is bright in the sky.” Faith said she has watched her peers drop out of school to join gangs.

“There was this boy who used to attend the Boys College (ASJA) and I saw him recently and asked why I wasn’t seeing him in school. He said he had things to do. What could you have to do that you don’t go to school?”

Shaking her head, she spoke about the young people who get caught up in criminal activities because they don’t see education as a sensible option.

“They want money and stuff but they don’t want to have to wait for it.”

Despite the negative comments about the community, Chaguanas Mayor Gopaul Boodan, who lives near Enterprise, said each community in the borough had a part to play.

“I live close to the boundary of Enterprise, where I live it is just a walking distance. I am in that community every day. I have relatives and friends who live there,” Boodan said in a telephone interview.

“Within recent times the focus has been on Enterprise because of higher crime levels but there are still peace-loving, hard-working, good people there.”

He said a lot of the crime in the community stemmed from social issues and its inception as a squatter community.

“People came and occupied lands and now it has regularised but the infrastructure for a residential community was not there,” Boodan said.

“There is also a lot of family issues, single parents and assistance from Government to take care of family’s with social security grants and giving them governmental support.

“We at the borough help with infrastructure development but they need a bigger intervention than the local government level.

“They need an intervention at the Central Government level.”

“Our councillors work as hard as possible to provide local government services but in terms of family life and employment, they give us information on people looking for employment but really Central Government needs to do more.”

Boodan said he drove through the community every day.

“You would see people at the street corner. I don’t feel intimidated, scared or frighten. I live and work among the people. There are certain areas where the whole environment needs to be cleaned up. Empty lots, semi-abandoned buildings and drainage issues. We are playing a part in terms of helping and we want the youths to show respect to law and order and develop civic responsibility.”

Boodan acknowledged the secret-keeping culture within the community when it came to crime.

“To be honest, my comment on that is that people will have certain information and that is a matter for law enforcement to get them to collaborate, but I know many people don’t feel comfortable in regard to their safety.

“They need a presence of the army and the police so people can be more comfortable to go about their lives, or a police post. It will increase people’s trust and confidence that something positive is being done and they could live happy lives.”

Community activities in Enterprise centre around football and cricket events at the two recreation grounds in the area or the basketball courts.

Community groups host sports and family days and businesses sometimes sponsor tournaments.

The football team in Crown Trace win competitions internationally and is the pride and joy of residents.

Despite these positives, residents of Enterprise are confronted with the most harsh realities of life. Shopkeepers have stories of hosing down blood from in front of their businesses.

Teenagers tell stories of older relatives being shot or shooting others. Yet no one complains.

The community continues to adapt to the effects of crime.

Do you live in Enterprise? Tell us your experiences and share your photos as we continue to explore this community.

Chaguanas East MP Fazal Karim is calling on Minister of Education Anthony Garcia to ensure homework centres and community-based education programmes are placed in his constituency.

This follows recent reports of crime in the Enterprise constituency, which forms part of the Chaguanas East constituency.

Speaking to the Sunday Guardian while visiting projects around the constituency, Karim said residents needed to feel a sense of inclusion when participating in learning activities.

“If people feel a sense of exclusion to work then they withdraw,” said Karim.

Karim called for courses such as carpentry, tailoring or dress-making to be offered in Central communities through community-based programmes such as Ytepp.

Karim toured his constituency with members of his constituency office and local government councillor for Montrose Momeena Hosein.

The group visited upgrade projects in Montrose and Endeavour.

One of the projects was repairs to a section of roadway near Rodney Road in Endeavour.

The road, located near a Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) station, constantly develops water-filled holes.

Other projects in the constituency included a walking track for recreation ground on Bocas avenue.

“We have limited resources and even with small amount of money the councillors are endeavouring to do their best,” Karim said.

Karim visited other projects in his constituency, including a tree-planting ceremony in Cunupia as part of the facilities for the police youth club, which is still under construction, as well as drainage in other areas.

Approximately 3,500 people sign up for technical vocational training programmes at the MIC Institute of Technology each year. Of that, 20 to 25 per cent either drop out or fail the programmes, according to chairman of the MIC Prof Clément Imbert.

Speaking to the Guardian, Imbert said, “Unfortunately the attrition rate, failure and the people dropping out is a little too high, higher than you would find at the universities, for instance. This is because many of the programmes are filled by people who we attract almost off the streets.”

Imbert said tradesmen are needed in the country and they try to encourage these students to stay and complete training even if they fail. “We try to make sure everyone who comes here and who’s willing, that we work with them until they pass.”

MIC offers a number of programmes but only four are funded by Gate. These are: the National Skills Development Programme (NSDP), Workforce Assessment Centre (WAC), Technical-Vocational Instructor/Teacher Training (TVITT) Unit, and Master Craftsman Programme.

When the Government-appointed Task Force’s report into Gate was leaked last week, concerns were raised over the impact it could have on the TVET sector.

The report suggested, “Effective August 2017, level II Technical, Vocational, Educational and Training (TVET) programmes should not be funded. Only programmes offered at institutions accredited by the ACTT should be funded. Exceptions should be made for postgraduate, undergraduate and TVET programmes that meet national needs.”

MIC is the first TVET institution to become accredited by the ACTT in the country and Imbert admits, “It is possible some of them may be affected, but I’m not sure exactly what is going to happen. The population must expect with a vast decrease in our income that all areas have to be rationalised, but I think people are getting a bit paranoid about what is going to be cut and not be cut.”

He said the country can’t expect business as usual. “Remember this particular government was not responsible for Gate for the last five years, so if there were certain things that have to be looked at you have to look at it. The country will have to decide which of the areas and which of the recipients for the Gate funding is best for the country.”

Don’t stop funding—student

Brandon La Croix, 21, of Arima, third-year student of the NSDP specialising in Machine Shop Technology, said he was able to gain more experience, more confidence and a better exposure to the world or work and a future career at MIC.

He entered straight out of high school and is nearing the end of the programme. He said, “I don’t think Gate should be cut from these programmes because some people may not have the right background and have a poorer background, unable to pursue a better education.

Tariq Khan, programme manager of the Multi-Sector Skills Training (MuST) Programme, said the MIC programmes target mainly at-risk youths, “youths that need a second chance, those that are economically disadvantaged, achievement motivated, differently abled, re-entrants to productive society and displaced workers.”

Recently, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley revealed that $750 million is spent each year on Gate.

Courses

MIC Gate-funded per student per year

Course Duration Annual Intake Annual Cost

Craftsman 1 year 25-30 $20,000 to $24,000

NSDP 3 years 160 $15,000 (3 years) 

TVITT 1 year 60 $15,000

WAC One-time 500 $2,500 to $3,000

“What goes around comes around.”

This was the view of one of the many victims of Selwyn “Robocop” Alexis’ crimes.

The person did not want to be named or have the crime identified when the Sunday Guardian made contact on Friday.

However, the victim said: “Let us just cut this story short. I have no interview to give...nothing, nothing. I don’t deal with that again. It is over my head.”

The victim added: “It happened already and I lived with it. I have no comments about the guy (Alexis) but I know his life.”

The victim was only aware of Alexis’ killing on Monday. Alexis was shot and killed last week Sunday outside of his business place in Enterprise, Chaguanas. 

The victim said: “All this thing happened (July 17 killings) and I did not even know and when they told me about it in my workplace I just accept and said what goes around comes around and that was that. If I had anything to say it’s that I don’t want anyone to go through what I went through.”

The victim did not want to recall the details of the crime.

Alexis was a well-known career criminal who was involved in land grabbing, robberies, kidnappings and extortion, among other illegal activities. Despite his lengthy list of criminal charges, he was never convicted. 

Another victim was contacted but immediately ended the call after the Sunday Guardian mentioned Alexis’ name. 

Reports are that Alexis, 51, was shot at several times before he died. However, he was able to fire back shots at one of the shooters identified as Thomas “Hamza” Sharpe, of Walter Lane, Bhagaloo. 

Alexis operated a grocery and car wash at Freedom Street, Enterprise, and also owned a contracting company. In 2011, during the state of emergency, he was arrested when police allegedly raided an apartment he was said to be renting at One Woodbrook Place. His rental arrangement and sources of income were said to be questionable. 

How Robocop’s life progressed

Some time after the Robocop action movie was featured in 1987, Alexis was shot at by police. When he survived the wounds, villagers started calling him ‘Robocop.’ It was an alias that stuck with him for about three decades. 

A villager who grew up in the same village with Alexis on Francois Road spoke with the Sunday Guardian under condition of anonymity yesterday. 

She said his mother, Gene, who has since died, worked as a cashier at a swimming pool in Couva. Alexis grew up with many siblings on his mother’s and father’s side. 

He attended Sunday School “normal” and participated in thanksgiving events at Baptist churches in the area.

“When he was about 16 or 17, he went to Longdenville to learn trade as a straightener and painter. He lived normal and then sometime in the 90s he started working on the Chaguanas maxi-stand, touting and extorting money.”

The woman said if people did not pay him when they parked on the stand, he would tell commuters the maxi was not ready and to use the one in the back. 

“That prevented people from getting their maxis filled. That’s when he started off with the stupidness and he realised he could get easy money and people will just give in whether it was because of fear.”

She added that one time in Chaguanas there was an incident involving a brawl with the police. 

“He behaved in his usual arrogant way.” 

She said Alexis was known for being “cocky” whenever he spoke and would threaten and argue. 

“There was a fist fight and a big brawl and that later led to him being shot later that day because police were searching for him.

“He survived the injuries and around that time the movie Robocop was out and people started calling him that because that’s kind of how he resurrected from the gunshot wounds.”

The woman said Alexis was then charged with kidnapping and was part of a “big group.”

Alexis, she said, called the shots and stayed in the background. “He would speak to you but would never get his hands dirty.”

She said: “You see the long list over the years with the kidnapping and all the crimes, he would not be there. He would sit and send them out. 

He was charged because of the law, of course, she added.

He operated like ‘Chicago mafia’

The woman said Alexis’ tall and robust appearance caused many to fear him. While he never walked around threatening people, she said, “he was smart, he would use his reputation to intimidate people.”

He was a person, she said, who would play with “your brain” because of his intelligence.

The woman said: “He would try to win people over...people would report to the police that their young sons would leave home to go to his mosque. This was in the 2000’s when teenage boys were his target. He targeted them, gave them food and comfort. They became loyal and he would send them out to do these bad things.”

She said they would rob for him and steal people’s car. But then he would be crafty and create a plot where he would come out and say he knew what took place. 

“That’s when he was Selwyn Alexis, the businessman from Enterprise, respected and known. He would say I have information about your car.”

That she said, came with a price tag of $5,000 to get back a car. 

“He set it up in a sly way to con people. He made a lot of money that way.”

She likened his illegal practices and activities to that of the Chicago mafia. Dating back to the 1910’s, the Chicago Outfit, as it was called, was a powerful and influential, dangerous Italian-American organised crime syndicate.

The woman said Alexis entered another business where people paid protection for their businesses. 

“So if you have a chicken business or what not, you paid a fee.”

A list of some of Alexis’ criminal charges:

*2016: Charged along with his son with participating in a gang riot at Crown Trace, Enterprise, as part of ongoing gang wars;

*2010: Charged along with his wife with receiving stolen arc welders;

*2010: Charged with assaulting a police officer during a confrontation in 2008;

*2009: Charged along with two others with kidnapping, as well as charges of armed robbery and being in possession of a stolen truck with cargo worth over $2 million;

*2008: Charged with two others with perverting the course of public justice; named a suspect in the 2008 murder of 48-year-old Vincentian national Vincent Simmons, who was shot dead on Nimblett Street in Enterprise;

*2003: Charged with kidnapping of a south businessman;

*2002: Charged with extortion after an arrest by the Anti-Kidnapping Squad and charges of demanding money from someone using threats.

Desperadoes’ musical tribute to the late prime minister Patrick Manning did not start at the appointed 8 pm time on Friday; however, it was well worth the wait for steelpan lovers. 

Patrons were treated to the scintillating sound of steel from six steel orchestras under tents at Desperadoes’ panyard on Frederick Street.

Some of the bands had a longer journey coming from the South—San City Steel Symphony from San Fernando, Diatonic Steel Orchestra from Siparia and Fusion Steel Orchestra from Marabella. 

UTT Suave Steel Ensemble, Newtown Playboys Steel Symphony and Valley Harps Steel Orchestra did not have to travel as far to the venue.

It was the third event of Desperadoes, which is hosting the series of concerts, aptly titled Nine Fridays, in honour and celebration of the life of Patrick Manning, beginning on July 8. 

Many of the bands had a mix of youthful members and seniors and while each had their own unique style of music, the effect on the audience was the same, having young and old dancing and swaying to good music from various genres. 

Pan Trinbago president Keith Diaz said pan was a way to reduce crime. 

He said National Security Minister Edmund Dillon should invest more in the youth of the nation and culture. 

Diaz said instead of youths taking part in gang warfare, they could be encouraged in positive pursuits such as playing pan.

He said the organisation had pan programmes and camps for the youths but it was experiencing “serious problems” with funding.

The Dr Keith Rowley-led administration will press ahead with its domestic tourism agenda despite efforts by some leading industry stakeholders to scupper the initiative.

Tourism Minister Shamfa Cudjoe made this clear at Friday’s launch of the 2016 edition of the Stay To Get Away campaign held at the Hyatt Regency Trinidad, which was jointly undertaken by the Tourism Development Company (TDC) and the Ministry of Tourism.

It appeared, she said, the owners of larger properties involved in previous iterations of the rejuvenated project were not pleased to learn of its expansion to facilitate smaller and lesser-known brands.

The minister, however, did not list names of the property owners and managers opposed to the new structure and expansion of the campaign.

“To all our stakeholders, those who are here, those who couldn’t be here and those who opted not to be here, I say we have to advance this sector together. The private sector must do its work and the Government must diligently play its role as facilitator. The Government, stakeholders and citizens must walk hand in hand. Advancing the tourism agenda is going to take all of us: the big operators, the small operators, the big names, the newcomers and even the underdogs. There is a piece of the pie out there for all of us,” she said.

“And I say that because this year, the TDC was adamant about widening the net so that more operators could benefit from this initiative and I want to commend the members of staff at the TDC for being adamant that we expand. It is very easy in the business for only the big fish to eat and the small fish doesn’t get any of the business.

“This time we were adamant about casting a larger and wider net. They say united we stand, divided we fall. That’s not true for this sector, because when we rise, we rise together and when we fall, we fall together. So as we examine, explore and employ new initiatives to foster growth and development for all, not some, but all of us, let us unite our forces to benefit the industry and to the benefit of each other.”

The first phase of the campaign takes effect August 1-31, during which time participating properties and service providers have agreed to offer reduced rates for their offerings in a deliberate effort to encourage nationals to vacation at home.

They include the T&T Tourist Transport Association, the National Trust of T&T, the Small Tourism Accommodation Owners’ of T&T (STAOTT) and the Public Transport Service Corporation.

The development of the domestic tourism portfolio, said the minister, was as important as the international market. 

Increase in staycation appeal

Cudjoe said records showed the “staycation” appeal, which was more common during long holiday weekends, has increased significantly over the years and a direct benefit of that was the greater appreciation and awareness of what the twin-island had to offer.

A 2013 survey conducted by the TDC revealed that 263,300 overnight domestic trips were taken by T&T households over the survey period. The leisure market that includes sports, recreation, cultural activities and visiting friends and relatives accounted for 46 per cent of all domestic trips, while business, conference, conventions and retreats were some of the other reasons for domestic travel.

The elderly man whose body was recovered from the Gulf of Paria on Saturday by journalists and environmental activists investigating a massive fish kill has been identified as Satrohan Bunsee, 80, of Colley Street, Fyzabad.

Bunsee was spotted floating out to sea at around 9.05 am on Saturday by the group who were waiting for a boat to take them out to a location where a large number of dead fish had been spotted. 

The group postponed their trip in an attempt to rescue Bunsee but by the time they reached him, little could be done to save his life. Yesterday at her Fyzabad home, Bunsee’s daughter Ann Rambachan told the T&T Guardian she realised her father was missing around noon on Saturday.

“I was calling him earlier in the day but he didn’t answer. I didn’t get worried yet but when I tried calling closer to lunch time and I still wasn’t getting an answer, I started calling other family members and neighbours to see if he was with them,” she said. 

“The neighbour told me he left home around 8.30 and said he was going out the road.”

After dozens of frantic calls, Rambachan visited the Siparia Health Facility to see if her father had been there.

“I went in and asked but they said they had no record of him being there. We also called the San Fernando General Hospital and checked with the Casualty (department) but they said no as well.” She then visited Bunsee’s home and when she tried calling his cellphone again, she heard it ringing inside the house.

“I went in thinking he maybe was inside but after searching the whole house I still couldn’t find him,” she said.

By afternoon, Rambachan was very worried. She said: “I had made up my mind to buff him when he come home, I wasn’t thinking anything like this could have happened.”

At exactly 6.14 pm, she called her brother Anish to ask him if their father was with him and experienced something she still can’t explain.

“I had called Anish earlier and he wasn’t answering but that time he answered and I asked him, ‘Pa with you?’

“He said yes, Pa was with him all day and had only left five minutes before to come home.”

She left her home and went to Bunsee’s home again to wait for him but she was still waiting almost an hour later when a neighbour saw the report of his death at the Mosquito Creek on the CNC3 News and told her.

“The thing is, Anish say he never answered the phone, he never talk to me...my brother wouldn’t lie and I know I called him and no one else.” She pulled up the call log on her phone, highlighting the call to Anish’s number which lasted several minutes.

“I don’t know if that was a final comfort for me or if I was supposed to be by the house, I just don’t know,” Rambachan

Fighting back her tears, she recalled how she cooked for Bunsee and took care of him although they lived in separate houses.

“He used to say ‘I will tell you when to bring food for me,’ and if he didn’t call, I used to call and ask him,” she said.

Friday was last time she saw him alive.

“I took him to collect  new glasses and then sent him home in a taxi. He seemed fine to me, but he said something he never really say before. He told me ‘God will bless you child’.”

Rambachan believes her father jumped into the swirling waters on Saturday in an attempt to end his life.

“I don’t know why he did it, but it is clear he intended that. He left home his wallet with his ID card and driver’s permit, his cell phone, his cane which he used to use all the time because his feet hurt from arthritis. He left everything behind.”

Rambachan and other relatives visited the San Fernando Mortuary where Bunsee’s body was identified. 

An autopsy is expected to be done this morning  and funeral arrangement’s will be made for later on in the week.

Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar has accused Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi of attempting to mislead and deceive the population into thinking that 1,300 prisoners are likely to be freed because the Opposition failure to support renewal of the Anti-Gang Act and the Bail (Amendment) Act. 

Both Acts have sunset clauses that need a special majority in Parliament or they will expire next month. Persad-Bissessar’s comments followed reports over the weekend that hundreds prisoners in remand are now being considered for bail by the State from August 15. 

Al-Rawi has warned that the release of the prisoners, who are facing charges of kidnapping for ransom, could be a security risk to the country. He said the Opposition’s decision to blank the Bail Bill extension means he will now have to make certain amendments to the Bail Act.

In a statement yesterday, Persad-Bissessar described the AG’s claims as “mischievous, baseless and politically malicious” and said they were “designed to score cheap political points at the expense of truth and accuracy and to engender fear in the population.” 

She said when Anti Gang Act was passed by her People’s Partnership administration in 2011, it was criticised by the PNM including then Senator Al-Rawi. 

She said the AG has so far failed to supply the Opposition with information requested on the number of persons arrested, charged, and convicted under the Anti-Gang Act

“Having regard to the AG’s failure to disclose this information, we wish to publicly ask for same and signal our intention to file applications under the Freedom of Information Act to ensure that he cannot avoid fulfilling his public duty to do so,” she said.

Persad-Bissessar added: “The Opposition cannot in good conscience blindly support legislation that was passed for a specific period of time as a temporary measure to assist in the fight against crime. 

It must necessarily undertake a critical analysis and evaluation to determine the success and effectiveness of the legislation. Indeed that is the very purpose of a sunset clause in legislation.”

She said it was untrue for Al-Rawi to “repeat ad nauseum the obvious headline grabbing phrase that 1300 persons will now suddenly be granted bail.” 

The Opposition Leader explained: “Such persons (assuming but not admitting the number is accurate) will simply be entitled to apply for bail and the Court has the discretion to either grant or refuse bail, taking into account a wide range of factors, including the seriousness of the offence, their prior criminal records etc.

She said about 700 of the 1300 prisoners have already been granted bail, but cannot access it. She said they were not denied bail under the Anti-gang and Bail Amendment Acts

“The Attorney General’s desire to sensationalise and provide misinformation has not escaped this issue. The Attorney General is reported to have stated that there are 2300 persons on remand in the nation’s prisons. As of today the number of persons on remand in the nation’s prisons is 2,101, 341 at Fredrick Street, and 703 at the Maximum Security Prison and 1057 at the Golden Grove Prison, almost 200 less than that stated by the Attorney General. 

“Consequently, if as the AG stated there are 1000 on murder charges and so not entitled to bail and, about another 700 have already been granted bail but cannot access same, then the numbers who may become entitled for bail after August 15th would be about 400 persons,” she said.

Responding to the AG’s warning that prisoners facing charges of kidnapping for ransom are due to be release, posing a security risk to the country after August 16, Persad-Bissessar said the Miscellaneous Provisions (Bail and Kidnapping) Act 2011 governs the refusal of bail to persons charged with kidnapping for ransom and contains no sunset clause so it remains in force. 

She said: “The Opposition will not be bullied, intimidated and railroaded by the cheap antics of the AG on such an important issue when all it is seeking is simple data on the number of persons denied bail under the laws that we were being asked to support. 

“Further, in all of the circumstances, we were correct to do what we did given the context; we will support or not support a Bill based on the merit of the Bill, its context, and the approach of Government in taking the Opposition’s views into account and most importantly whether the proposed legislation is genuinely in the public interest.”

A 34-year-old man was believed to have been lured to his death in St James early yesterday morning when he was called “to come for a smoke.”

Police said just after midnight Nicholas “Froggy” Mitchell was found dead along a track at The Cocoa, Providence Estate, Bournes Road, St James. He and another man identified only as “Pacheco” were shot at around 10 pm on Saturday while walking through the track.

While Mitchell died at the scene, the other man spent seven and a half hours waiting for the authorities to find him. He was taken to hospital just before 6 am yesterday.

Residents reported hearing loud explosions but told police they were scared of venturing out of their homes to check. A man walking through the track stumbled upon the two men at around 5.30 am yesterday. He alerted the police who took the injured man to the hospital where he underwent emergency surgery. 

Up to late yesterday, he was said to be a critical condition. Police said they believe Mitchell’s killing was a reprisal for the murder of Mark John, 27, in the same area on July 13.

A female relative, who did not give her name, said she strongly believes Mitchell was “put in place.”

“They wanted him dead. 

“Yes, there were threats, which I cannot say why but all I know is that the relative of a murder victim called him out for his death. 

“They called him and when he went that was it,” she said.

Asked if Mitchell was a suspect in several murders, the relative replied: “Yes, but what we are saying is that they put him in place and he not too long come out of jail too.”

An autopsy is expected to be conducted on Mitchell’s body today at the Forensic Science Centre.

Investigations are continuing.

Senior police officers have expressed concern about a recent upsurge in robberies in the Mayaro district, with four reported in just three days last week. They are asking the public to assist with any information they may have on any of them.

Police said they are looking for a group of men for questioning in connection with  robberies at bars across the community where cash, liquor, jewelry, cellphones and phone cards amounting to thousands of dollars have been taken from proprietors and customers.

The suspects are men are in their early 20s operating in groups of three. 

After viewing the footage from cameras installed at the bars that were robbed at gunpoint, investigators believe that the bandits are not residents of Mayaro and environs.  The gun-toting bandits are operating at nights and some bar owners are now closing their doors earlier, police said.
Customers are also now afraid to visit bars.

Police said in the latest robbery last week, bandits robbed a bar owner of $20,000 in cash, liquor and phone cards, in addition to robbing four customers of their cash, jewellery and cellphones.

Police constable Sookoo of the Mayaro CID is continuing with inquiries.

A national policy on non-communicable diseases (NCD) will be introduced within the next two weeks, Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh said yesterday. It will be based on an examination of factors creating inequity throughout the health system, he said, adding that it was unfortunate that the disadvantaged and vulnerable are often the ones who carry the heaviest burden.

The minister said the Government is taking a stance against health threats such as cardio-vascular diseases, diabetes, hypertension and cancers but admitted that people in the lower strata who are too busy trying to survive on a daily basis are the most affected. He said constraints such as a lack of time, education, finances and a general inclination to lead unhealthy lives are among the impediments they face.

Deyalsingh said achievable targets have been set and depend on policy implementation as this was the first time T&T will have legislation to aid the process.

Speaking at the opening of the T&T Medical Association’s (TTMA) 22nd Annual Medical Research Conference at the Trinidad Hilton and Conference Centre yesterday, Deyalsingh promised to ensure that T&T attains developed country status by reducing mortality and morbidity rates in various areas.

The minister said it is costly for taxpayers to continue to provide treatment for people suffering with NCDs, with approximately $136,000 spent to provide dialysis per patient per year. This was a drain on the Treasury, he said, and the time has come to reverse the dependency syndrome.

President of the T&T Medical Association, Dr Stacey Chamely, underscored the importance of transforming lives before they reached the stage of becoming a burden to their family and the State. She said this year's conference had been broadened to include legislative, political and civil society input.

Claiming that it is an overwhelming burden already, Chamely said the situation with people suffering with NCDs is expected to become six times worse by 2020. She said this group of people also experience the highest mortality rates and agreed with Deyalsingh that the top ten causes of death all fell under the 12 social determinants of health, with the top four listed as cardio-vascular, diabetes, hypertension and mental illness.

President of the World Medical Association, Prof Michael Marmot, said every person should have the best start in life in terms of early childhood care, education, health, living accommodations and working conditions.

“Everyone should have the minimum income necessary for a healthy life. If you haven’t got enough money to feed your children, you can’t have a healthy life or eat healthy food,” he said. 

On the issue of smoking, he said one had to ask what made it so popular and common among people occupying the lower economic stratas.

More than a week after the ambush where one of Central’s reputed gang leaders, Selwyn “Robocop” Alexis was killed, investigators are yet to get a lead as to who was the mastermind behind the murder and who was the “sniper” that killed Alexis and his customer, Kevin Escayg.

Alexis and Escayg were each killed by a single bullet from a high-velocity military assault rifle, believed to be an AR-15. Escayg’s four-year-old son, K’Chaud was also shot and wounded. His mother, Shenelle, when contacted,  would only say that the boy is doing well. She declined further comment.

Alexis’ assailant, Thomas “Hamza” Sharpe, was killed by Alexis who shot him six times in the head, once in the neck, one on the left buttock and three on the left leg. All three died at the scene. 

Police said they have not been able to locate video footage of the July 17 shooting although Alexis’ 5K Mini Mart and Car Wash is fully equipped with a multi-surveillance camera system inside and outside at strategic points. 

At the spot where Alexis, Escayg and Sharpe were killed there are about four cameras fixed at different angles to cover the area from the corner of the Old Southern Main Road, Enterprise, and Freedom Street to several metres along Freedom Street. 

Police officers, because they were unable to collected footage from Alexis' business place, are facing a major obstacle in determining what happened that day, details of the suspects involved and who was the scene within seconds of the shooting.

They believe video footage captured from the scene was quickly removed and put in the hands of Alexis loyalists for future revenge.

A police source told the T&T Guardian it was “very strange that such a big crime could happen and just two handguns were recovered, along with spent shells, projectiles, castings and fragments.” The handguns, a Perfecta Luger 9 mm and a Blazer Luger 9mm, belonged to Alexis and Sharpe.

“Someone would have targeted, shot and killed Alexis and Escayg from the car which brought Sharpe to Alexis’ business place, but who? There is no available footage there to help us,” the source said.

Asked about footage from the surveillance cameras, Alexis’ son Kerron admitted there was a digital video recorder (DVR) in the system but said the hard drive was non-functional. He said that a new hard drive was ordered but he is yet to receive it.

Police also questioned the source of funding for gangs operating in Enterprise, Chaguanas, especially the Unruly Isis Gang, since the high-velocity military assault rifles reported to be in their possession cost between $40,000 and $50,000.

“Someone is funding these gangs, maybe through a business or something, even maybe through corrupt police officers and soldiers,” an intelligence source said.

“But, the bigger question is: who and why?”

According to sources, Alexis was well known for being the mastermind behind kidnappings, extortions, robberies, property-snatching and land-grabbing. It is believed he was assisted by police officers, including senior officers, who wanted to make extra money for themselves, “in an underhand and illegal way.”

Over the past week, officers attached to special units were able to do intelligence-gathering at the funerals of Alexis and Sharpe where they photographed, videotaped and listened to several conversations of people via audio-monitoring devices. 

They remain hopeful they will be able to utilise this to make arrests soon.

Members of the public who have information or video footage that may be able to assist in the investigations can contact the Chaguanas Police Station, Crime Stoppers or the police hotline at 555.

The AR-15 assault rifle that was used in the killing of Selwyn “Robocop” Alexis is the same type of weapon that was used to shoot police officer Sgt Ricardo Morris multiple times in Sea Lots in May. Morris managed to survive.

Police also discovered Alexis’ weapons cache of two AR-15 rifles and ammunition at his Longdenville home on Monday. An AR-15 rifle was one of the weapons used in an attack in Enterprise, Chaguanas, on June 30, in which four men were shot.

Several AR-15s were seized during the August 21, 2011, state of emergency and in September 2011, five AR-15 rifles were found at TTPost’s head office at Piarco, earmarked for shipment to Thailand. 

Criminologist Daurius Figueira said the high-powered AR-15 rifle was the weapon of choice for mass shootings in the US as well as sicarios—drug cartel hitmen or assassins working for Mexican Transnational Trafficking Organisations (MTTO).

Figueira said the question arises as to what was being protected in Sea Lots that was so imperative that the AR-15 rifle had to be protected at all costs to the point of shooting Sgt Ricardo Morris on May 26. 

He said MTTOs purchased AR-15 parts kits, castings and flats in the US, smuggled them into Mexico where they milled the castings and flats and then assembled the finished AR-15 platform assault rifles with barrels purchased and smuggled from the US. 

Figueira said an AR-15 assault rifle manufactured in this manner had no markings and serial numbers stamped on its parts and was a weapon that dispensed anonymous, unlisted death. 

He said the only way to profile this weapon was by its ballistic footprint created when it was fired but with parts kits, replacement barrels and receivers the weapon can literally be given a new ballistic footprint. Figueira said the challenged forensic capacity of Caribbean states was then a hitman’s paradise premised on impunity.

He said The Small Arms Survey Issue Brief Number 17 publication of March 2016 titled, Dribs and Drabs the Mechanics of Small Arms Trafficking from the US, stated: “Arms trafficking from the US goes well beyond gun-running to Mexico. Traffickers in the 159 cases studied shipped weapons, parts, ammunition and accessories to at least 46 countries and foreign territories on six continents.”  

Figueira said the study also showed specific Caribbean islands, including T&T, were recipients of illicitly trafficked arms. 

Firearms weapons specialist Paul-Daniel Nahous pointed out to the T&T Guardian that one of Alexis’ rifles had an optic sight for aiming that made shooting accurately very easy for combat, even for a shooter who had minimal training once the sight was calibrated properly.

He said because of the AR-15 assault rifle’s popularity, its price has risen to US$1,800 and above from US$900 in the US and was available on US gun sites such as Cheaper Than Dirt. Nahous said information from the Port-of-Spain CID was that the street value for an AR-15 in T&T was $45,000. Mayers said an AK-47 assault rifle cost $45,000 to $50,000. However, it was becoming more scarce than the AR-15. 

Nahous said, “Robocop’s AR-15s are modern variants or models and are also outfitted with picatinny rails which allow attachments such as laser sights, optic sights, flashlights and grips.

“The tech these guys are getting their hands on is scary, such as red dot optic and reflex sights, heavier and more efficient calibre rifles and ammunition.

“We are lucky so far that law enforcement agents haven’t come across AR-15s configured to their full destructive potential with grenade launcher attachments in the hands of criminals.”
Heerah: Trail of damning evidence left behind 

When former executive director of the National Operations Centre (NOC) Garvin Heerah was questioned on the comparative analysis regarding the investigations of the rifles found at Alexis’ home, and the possibility these weapons may have been used at other crime scenes or homicide scenes, he lamented the use of guns in serious crimes had increased and they left a trail of the most damning evidence.  

He said based on his continued advice, his observation and research over the years including research conducted in alliance with Forensics Outreach Team UK and Europe, when a gun was involved, crime scene investigators must look for specific clues such as bullet casings, bullet holes, spatter patterns, and perhaps even a dropped weapon, either at the scene or nearby, such as in a car, a drain, under a house or nearby bushes. 

Heerah said once a bullet was recovered, either from an impact point in a soft surface or pulled out of flesh by a medical examiner or a physician, that bullet will become a primary piece of evidence. 

He said since there were several processes involved in rifling a barrel, each barrel was unique, and just like fingerprints, a bullet can be paired to a weapon with nearly perfect accuracy. 

Heerah said that even without a weapon, the striations can identify a type and model of firearm, so detectives will know what to look for. 

He said firearms could also be traced through a gunman’s sweat from his hands, firing pins, the alignment, size of impression and age of the firearm.

Heerah reiterated that these details were shared as a consideration point to stir conversations and probes to determine whether the authorities were in fact being so detailed in the course of investigative approaches and strategies. 

He questioned, however, whether that type of modernised, detailed approach to scientific and forensic investigations was being practised, and whether the T&T Police Service was enhancing the training and development aspect, as was previously advised, to treat with this aspect of scientific and technology-led policing.  

Newly appointed Central Division head Ag Snr Supt Floris Hodge-Griffith did not return the T&T Guardian’s calls as to why there was no lockdown of the Enterprise area; why Alexis’ home was not searched for arms and ammunition when he was alive as he was allegedly well-known to the police; and whether there would be more raids in the area for more weapons, ammunition and drugs.  

It was not just about fun and merriment at the annual Food Fair and Carnival Family Day which took place yesterday at Riverside Park, Westmoorings. While the event, put on by The Dream Foundation For Children, offered a magical experience with the various activities available, it also supported charitable organisations that care for children.

Co-ordinator Lauren Lee Ah Yen said the NGO—celebrating its fifth anniversary this year—started out hosting fetes for  fundraising but, because it is a foundation for children, last year the NGO hosted its first family day to include children.

“Last year was really special. We hosted the children that we help from the various homes. They were able to partake in the fun activities while also getting the chance to observe what is being done to support them. They are here again with us this year. We have them located under a special VIP tent,” said Lee Ah Yen.

She explained the NGO, based at Saddle Road in Maraval, looks after various homes and community residences for children. The group provides toiletries, groceries, schoolbooks and stationery, and assists with other expenses for children. It is often contacted by magistrates for assistance in placing children who are victims of violence and crisis situations at homes.

Lee Ah Yen said it can become a Herculean task since the NGO, which comprises a small team, needs voluntary help. She said they are completing paperwork to access financial grants because of the many requests for assistance they receive daily.

Asked about the NGC’s long-term vision, Lee Ah Yen said: “Our primary mission is to acquire a parcel of land where we can build our own home to house children in need and even incorporate family services for single parents or for a family that is disrupted and needs temporary housing. It is better that families are not separated.”

She said the parcel of land should be large enough to be self-sustaining as the NGO will use it for planting and growing its own food. There are also plans to construct a seniors’ home.

Education has not been left out as one other aspiration is to develop counselling services as well as an institute for vocational and academic training for children. 

For more information on the Dream Foundation for Children and how to become a volunteer, visit them on Facebook @ The Dream Foundation for Children or call 288-5687. Emails can be sent to: thedreamfoundationtt@gmail.com