Six detained as probe continues into ‘internal betrayal’ at Trinidad police station
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) — The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) says six people have been detained as investigations continue into Sunday’s incident at the San Fernando City Corporation Municipal Police Station, which left one officer dead and guns and ammunition stolen.
Acting Corporal Anusha Eversley was killed during what authorities have described as a “security breach”, during which over 60 weapons and thousands of rounds of ammunition were stolen.
In a statement, the TTPS said that those detained include two municipal police officers, two females and two other males.
“Officers of the San Fernando Criminal Investigations Department (CID), Special Branch and Special Investigations Unit, supported by intelligence-led operations and the strategic use of technology, worked throughout the night as they carried out several simultaneous operations and have made a significant breakthrough in the matter. As a result, a substantial quantity of the stolen firearms and ammunition has been recovered,” the TTPS said in the statement.
The recovered items include 10 M&P pistols, 10 Glock 19 pistols, one Browning pistol, one Smith & Wesson pistol, and 612 rounds of 9mm ammunition.
Police Commissioner Allister Guevarro personally led officers on the ground during the early hours of Monday as the investigation took a critical turn. While the investigation remains in progress and is at a sensitive stage, the TTPS assured the public that every effort is being made to bring those responsible to justice, with further updates expected as new information comes to light.
On Sunday night, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar clarified that the attack on the municipal police station was not an external assault on the TTPS or national security forces, but an “internal betrayal” within the Trinidad and Tobago Municipal Police Service (TTMPS) at the San Fernando City Corporation.
“It should be noted that the TTPS is a distinct entity from the TTMPS. TTPS officers were not involved in the incident. The Ministry of Homeland Security and the TTPS will provide full support to TTMPS, San Fernando Mayor Robert Parris and the San Fernando City Corporation to investigate and bring this matter to closure and recover the stolen items,” Persad-Bissessar said.
The developments come amid an ongoing state of emergency, with the Opposition questioning whether current measures are effectively addressing rising crime and security breaches.
But Persad-Bissessar said that “there is no need for any curfew”.
Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister, Kamla Persad-Bissessar.