PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, (CMC) -The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) Wednesday issued a call for all police officers on vacation to report for duty as it commended the members of the public for their cooperation as the country continues to be under a state of emergency (SoE).

Assistant Commissioner of Police, Richard Smith, told a news conference that the TTPS has increased operations since the SoE was declared on December 30, last year.

“We have sent out the call as well to our officers, currently on vacation leave and they have been coming out…to do their civic duty as we fight against this surge in criminality facing our country.

“So I want to thank those officers who have come out thus far and for those who have not come out, messages will be sent to you, making an appeal to you all to come out …as early as today, tomorrow…

“As soon as you get this message, we want you to come out because we need your assistance We need all hands on deck as we continue to fight against this surge,” Smith said.

Smith said that for those who do not come out, the TTPS has “its disciplinary process by which we would be able to proceed against them and if found wanting then we will have probably charges laid against them”.

But he acknowledged that there are officers on leave for “various reasons” and for many months, but have heeded the call to report for duty.

Earlier, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Junior Benjamin, told reporters that the police have made a significcant dent in criminal activities since the SoE.

“We have targetted 503 priority offenders, we have conducted 2, 495 searches. A total of 360 persons have been arrested, 22 firearms thus far have been recovered and around 818 assorted rounds of ammunition have been recovered thus  far.

“In terms of dangerous drugs seized, we have just under 84 kilogrammes of marijuana and 592 grammes of cocaine,” he said, praising the cooperation of the public.

“Some of these successes could not have taken place without us working with the public and therefore we want to continue to  ask the public to  work with us as we seek to deal with the crime situation…in this state of emergency as we seek to bring to justice persons that are found committing offences,” Benjamin added.

The SoE was imposed following a shootout among rival gangs outside a police station in the capital, with Prime Minister Keith Rowley telling a news conference last Friday that the authorities had also received “information of retaliatory actions” that would “more than likely occur in the days to follow”.