We stand by decision to apprehend persons for ‘safe keeping’ – ACP

Although some persons who are apprehended by police officers for “safe keeping” object to it, the police say this practice is the wise thing to do.

In SEARCHLIGHT’s January 6. 2017 edition, an angry Paul’s Avenue resident said that he wants the police to desist from the practice of locking up persons overnight for “safe keeping”, at least as it relates to him.

The irate man was part of a group of eight men, some from Paul’s Avenue and some who frequent the area, who were detained for about 19 hours from around 7 p.m. on Friday, December 23.

In an interview with SEARCHLIGHT on Wednesday, head of Crime and Assistant Commissioner of Police Frankie Joseph said it is very unfortunate that persons feel that they do not need police protection, although the constabulary has information that there is a “hit on them.”

According to the ACP, it is wrong to have the information and do absolutely nothing.

“When we receive [that type of] information, we would up our patrols in that area, but we think that it is also wise that we protect such persons, even if they eventually think that we should not protect them.”

However, during the interview with SEARCHLIGHT, the Paul’s Avenue man said that police officers did not brief them about the threat that they said was against them.

“Basically, if you locking up a man for safe keeping he supposed to be willing to go,” said the confused man.

“I don’t think that they had any intelligence about people coming after we; it look as if they just want to harass us,” said the Paul’s Avenue man.

During Wednesday’s interview, Joseph said police officers first apprehended persons for “safe keeping” in 2014, when there was a spike in murders, which he said was the result of a drug war.

He added that because of their “safe keeping,” a number of lives were saved.

Joseph, however, stated that the hierarchy of the organization is looking at their strategies as it pertains to apprehending persons for their own protection.

“But we always when we take up anyone for their own protection, we always sit them down and explain certain things to them; that it is not a matter that they are under arrest for anything, it is just the information that we receive, but as I said we will look at our strategies in light of that.”

In an interview with SEARCHLIGHT on November 30, 2016, Joseph said that the police cannot keep these persons locked away forever and in a few cases, players have died shortly after police released them.

In this latest incident, reports are that the police received intelligence that two hitmen from Trinidad were planning an attack on individuals in Paul’s Avenue. (AS)