Police raid shop in Paul’s Avenue

Members of the Royal St Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force’s Special Services Unit (SSU) and Rapid Response Unit (RRU) were kept busy this week, and SEARCHLIGHT’s cameras caught them in action in and around Kingstown.{{more}}

On Tuesday afternoon, shortly after 2 p.m., a squad of Special Services Unit (SSU) officers were seen at the Kingstown Central Market, across from the main entrance to the House of Assembly, accompanied by the Police K-9 Unit.

Minutes later, the ‘bomb sniffing dog’ was called into action, in a search to determine if there were any explosive devices in the vehicles parked outside the building.

About twenty minutes after their arrival, a senior officer entered the registry department, and ordered an evacuation of the building, informing staff and civilians that a bomb threat had been called in at the premises.

The office of the Speaker of the House of Assembly, which is housed upstairs, was also evacuated.

The High Court was not in session at the time.

The following day, SSU officers offered back-up support to members of the Rapid Response Unit (RRU) and Criminal Investigations Department (CID), who swooped down on a shop in Paul’s Avenue, in a mid-afternoon raid on the establishment.

The officers’ arrival on the scene was met with disapproval by some angry residents, who accused the cops of illegal entry and physical abuse.

After the search had been carried out, the officers left the scene with some items taken from the shop, as well as four individuals, including one female.(JJ)