National Security Minister Edmund Dillon yesterday condemned the recent killing of a soldier and a prison officer in separate incidents.
In a statement yesterday Dillon said there will be swift justice for those who committed the offences.
On Saturday, 39-year-old off duty Special Forces Regiment officer Cpl Shervaun Charleau died after being shot in the head in a suspected robbery attempt in St James.
And yesterday senior prisons officer David Millette, 50, was killed in Morvant.
Dillon said he “strongly condemns the recent increase in homicides, especially the spate of attacks on the lives of national security officers.”
He expressed his concern that “officers who dedicate their lives to protect and serve the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago are apparently being targeted by criminal elements.”
Dillon said law enforcement officials were treating these instances of violence against serving officers seriously and are working assiduously to resolve these cases and bring swift justice to the killers.
He also assured members of the Prisons Service the Government would be giving priority attention to strengthening the safety and security of its officers. A meeting, which was scheduled last week for the minister to hold discussions with the executive of the Prisons Service on prison management, will take place tomorrow.
Dillon said he was pledging “his full commitment to ensure that the overall security apparatus of the country is strengthened to provide for the safety and security of all citizens.”
He said the Defence Force and Protective Services “will be given the necessary tools and resources to allow them to fulfill their duties efficiently and effectively”
Dillon extended condolences to the families of Charleau and Millette.