A 51-year-old maxi conductor, charged with indecent assault, was remanded in custody by Her Worship Maureen Gafoor, when he appeared at the Port-of-Spain Magistrates’ Court, yesterday (Tuesday 3rd October 2023).

The matter was adjourned to 6th October 2023.

Police reports indicate that around 1:35 PM on Saturday (30th September 2023), a 17-year-old girl was sitting in a maxi taxi at City Gate, Port-of-Spain, when a man allegedly touched her inappropriately.

A report was made to the Central Police Station on the same day. Detectives of the Special Victims Department launched an investigation, which led to the arrest of a man, who was formally charged on Sunday (1st October 2023).

The matter was investigated by WPC Joseph and supervised by Supt. Claire Guy-Alleyne and Inspectors Boxer and Wilkinson.

EDITOR’S NOTE: There are conflicting reports about the age of the child. The latest information now states that a 1-year-old baby perished in the fire, not a 3-year-old. This article has since been updated.

According to reports, a house fire claimed the life of a 1-year-old baby girl a short while ago (Wednesday 4th October 2023) in Chaguanas. The fire is said to have occurred at Ramlakan Trace, Soogrim Trace in Endeavour, Chaguanas.

Both Fire and Police Officers are currently on the scene.

More on this as it becomes available.

This is a developing story - refresh this page for updates.

​[Source: CCN TV6]

The body of a baby was found this morning (Wednesday 4th October 2023) in a white plastic bag in a communal garbage receptacle at Bowen Street, Maraval. The deceased baby appeared to be full term and recently delivered. The gruesome discovery was made by sanitation workers who were making their rounds on Wednesday morning.

The body is believed to have been left in the garbage receptacle overnight. The garbage bags would have been taken this morning to the Beetham Landfill.

​Police are currently on the scene.

Investigations are continuing.

More on this as it becomes available.

This is a developing story - refresh this page for updates.

​[Source: Trinidad Express]

The owner of Persad's ‘D' Food King chain of supermarkets and his wife were beaten and robbed during a brutal home invasion in New Grant early yesterday morning (Tuesday 3rd October 2023). The victims have been identified as 78-year-old Mohan Persad and his wife, 78-year-old Shirley Persad. The popular supermarket chain consists of eight (8) locations, including two (2) in Princes Town.

According to reports, the elderly couple were awakened around 3:00 AM and saw six (6) armed intruders inside their house, located at Sixth Company Road. The intruders are believed to have gained entry by prying open a window. They proceeded to beat Persad and his wife, tied them up and robbed them of cash, jewellery, two (2) registered guns with ammunition, and their Firearm User's Licence (FUL). The bandits also stole two (2) cellphones valued at least $6,000, as well as a DVR for their camera system.

The suspects then boldly left through the front door.

The couple managed to untie themselves and alerted the Police.

WPC Harripersad, PCs Harripersad and Harricharan, and other Officers responded to the scene and gathered evidence.

PC Harripersad is leading investigations into this latest home invasion.

President of the Supermarket Association (SATT), Rajiv Diptee, said the Association condemned the incident “in the strongest possible terms.” He said Persad is a foundation member. He also criticized the crime surge, adding that home invasions have placed the business community on edge.

Speaking with Newsday, Diptee said, “We stand committed and ready to assist the family. We would like to see what the authorities are planning to do, given the developments from the Budget as well as call for serious consequences to accompany these crimes.” He went on to say, “There should be deep and dire consequences for these acts. These acts on the elderly are crimes of opportunity because these criminals would have to know the victims and their circumstances and maybe an idea or conception in their heads that there is X and Y in the house.”

He said such victims are nationwide and called for a holistic approach to crime. “People are scared. Home is a sacred place. Invasions speak to a serious deterioration in the social fabric of our society. There is a loss of norms,” Diptee said.

Meanwhile, Moruga/Tableland MP, Michelle Benjamin, issued a statement on Tuesday following the robbery, in which she said, “It is indeed a sad day for the Moruga/Tableland community as they grapple with the shocking news of a prominent businessman and valued stakeholder falling victim to a vicious attack perpetrated by rogue elements that have been plaguing the area. The community had long looked up to this individual as a beacon of hope, someone who not only contributed to the local economy but also played a vital role in fostering unity and development. This brazen act of violence not only threatens the safety of individuals but also the very fabric of the community itself.”

She added, “The incident serves as an immense reminder of the challenges faced by many communities across Trinidad and Tobago, where lawlessness and criminal activity seem to thrive. It highlights the urgent need for the Ministry of National Security, local law enforcement agencies, and other stakeholders to come together and take decisive action to rid these areas of the menace of rogue elements. Community members must also unite in solidarity, providing support to the victim and working hand in hand with the authorities to ensure that justice is served and their neighborhood can once again thrive in peace. As the Member of Parliament for the constituency of Moruga/Tableland, I stand with Mr. Persad ‘D’ Food King and all other residents within my constituency; there is a collective hope that this incident will catalyze change. It is a call to action for all stakeholders, both within and outside the community, to re-double their efforts in eradicating crime and violence from their midst.”

​Investigations are continuing.

More on this as it becomes available.

[Source: Newsday]

The decomposing body of a man was found near the Fyzabad Presbyterian Primary School this morning (Tuesday 3rd October 2023). According to reports, a painter working on the school, located at Lum Tack Hill, detected a foul stench around 11:00 AM.

The painter and a co-worker followed the scent and found the body in a clump of bushes, approximately fifteen (15) feet off the hill. A tyre was found on top of the body. It is believed the body could have been there since weekend.

The body is said to be about five (5) feet, eight (8) inches tall and was clad in blue coveralls. The ethnicity is unknown.

Investigations are continuing.

More on this as it becomes available.

[Source: Trinidad Express]

The body of a missing man was found in the Moruga River on Monday (2nd October 2023). The deceased has been identified as 24-year-old Darion Dyer of Indian Bay, Moruga.

According to reports, Dyer went to the Moruga River, La Ruffin, on Sunday (1st October 2023) with friends and family. However, he could not be found around 9:00 PM.

The Hunters Search and Rescue Team (HSRT) made the announcement in a Facebook post on Monday: “BREAKING SAD NEWS: The body of DARION DYER was just located. Darion accompanied by friends and family went to the Moruga River, La Ruffin, yesterday. Around 9:00 PM he couldn't be found. His body was just found in the Moruga River. Hunters Search and Rescue Team commiserates with the family, friends and loved ones, especially his brother-in-law, Joshua Gopaul. SLEEP IN ETERNAL PEACE DARION. GOD'S BLESSINGS: GOD KNOWS BEST.”

​More on this as it becomes available.

Two (2) Special Reserve Police (SRP) Officers are set to appear before the Courts to answer to charges arising out of two (2) incidents of misbehaviour in public office, robbery and shop breaking and larceny.

According to the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS), No. 8362 SRP Officer Elcid Jefferson Sammy is scheduled to appear at the Couva Magistrates’ Court today (Tuesday 3rd October 2023) after he was charged with demanding money by menaces, along with other charges.

Sammy, who was assigned to the ERP Unit of the E999, was charged following the advice of Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Mrs Dougdeen-Jaglal. The accused was also charged with robbery with aggravation, two (2) counts of misbehaviour in public office arising out of the offences, demanding money and robbery.

Meanwhile, Police received advice from the Office of the DPP to charge No. 8436 SRP Officer Wayne Pierre with shop breaking and larceny, arising out of an incident which occurred in September 2023.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Ag.), Intelligence and Investigation, Curt Simon, commented on the matter saying, “No one is above the law. The TTPS will guard its hegemony. Those within this institution who are bent on working against our ideals, will not be spared. We will pursue you as any other citizen with criminal intent. You will not be allowed to take righteousness away from this organization.”

Police records indicate that around 8:30 PM on 14th September 2023, a man was at his home located at Old Southern Main Road, Couva, when a Police vehicle allegedly stopped at his home. He reported that one of the vehicle’s occupants, who was dressed in civilian wear, called out to him and he went outside of his house to enquire. When he approached the vehicle, the man observed there were four (4) occupants, two (2) men dressed in civilian wear with their faces covered and two (2) other men dressed in what appeared to be Police uniform. The man alleged that the men in civilian wear then requested $20,000, to which he indicated he did not have. The men then allegedly entered the victim’s home, where they took his CCTV monitor, an Apple iPhone, a Samsung cellphone and $500 cash, after which they escaped in the said vehicle.

The TTPS conducted an extensive investigation, which was spearheaded by DCP Ag. Curt Simon. Suspects were detained and interviewed, which led to charges being laid against the accused. The investigation was supervised by Snr. Superintendent Garvin Simon, conducted by ASP Ablacksingh, ASP Dipchand, Sgt. Howard, Cpl. Baboolal, with legal advice of Legal Officer Sgt. Basant.

Whilst in another incident, around 9:00 PM on 22nd September 2023, Police received reports of a suspected break-in at a supermarket located at Western Main Road, Carenage. When Police arrived, the manager of the supermarket observed that the padlock she placed on the front door to secure the premises, was changed. As a result, she was unable to make checks inside the supermarket at that time. On 23rd September 2023, the owner of the supermarket removed the padlock to gain access to his business place. When he entered the premises, he made checks and noticed $10,000 cash and a DVR player were missing. He contacted the Carenage Police Station and Officers arrived, processed the scene, extracted video footage, witnesses identified and statements were taken.

Ag./Cpl. Benjamin continued enquiries and a suspect was arrested, and is to be charged with shop breaking and larceny.

According to the Trinidad and Tobago Meteorological Service (TTMS), Tropical Storm Philippe is presently centred approximately 50 Km to the North-Northeast of Anguilla. Philippe is moving towards the Northwest at about 13 Km/hr. On the current forecast track, the centre of Philippe is expected to move to the North of the Leeward Islands today (Tuesday 3rd October 2023). It is forecast to make a turn towards the North-Northwest by tonight. Philippe continues to be affected by moderate to strong shear, leaving a large area of strong convection to the South of its centre, across the Leewards and some Northern Windward Islands.

The air flow across Trinidad and Tobago is still being drawn from the Southeast and is expected to begin to back, becoming Easterly by tonight. At this time, Tropical Storm Philippe poses no direct threat to Trinidad and Tobago.

The axis of the next Tropical Wave is presently located near 49° West longitude, in the Central Tropical Atlantic, and has increased in forward motion to approximately 15 Kt - 20 Kt (28 Km/hr - 37 Km/hr). Trinidad and Tobago and the Lesser Antilles are expected to begin to see an increase in cloudiness and showers associated with this Wave from Thursday (5th October 2023).

The axis of a Tropical Wave in the far Eastern Atlantic is, at this time, located near 22° West longitude, and is moving Westward at 10 Kt (18 Km/hr).

The Met Office notes that Trinidad and Tobago’s Heat Season continues until the end of October. Therefore, strong insolation (solar radiation) is still expected. This will at times produce high maximum temperatures, close to or above 34°C. These high temperatures are one of the initiators of deep convection, at times resulting in the development of strong isolated thunderstorm activity, during the late morning to afternoon.

In the event of a heavy shower or a thunderstorm, winds can become gusty, and street or flash flooding is likely in the vicinity.

A Hot Spell Alert (Yellow Level) has been issued by the Met Office, which commenced from 9:18 AM today (Tuesday 3rd October 2023). Rainfall events associated with Tropical Waves or the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), though not expected to be frequent this month, may provide brief relief from the intense heat, but hot conditions are likely to return once these events pass.

Mild to moderate concentrations of Saharan dust will be in the atmosphere during the next few days.

Please continue to pay attention to the latest forecasts, alerts, and information issued by the TTMS.

T&T Chamber’s Response

​The Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce (TTCIC) is commending the Government on its 2024 National Budget presentation, which it says has outlined “significant strides in developing the non-energy sector.”

​In a Media Release following the Budget presentation on Monday (2nd October 2023), the Chamber said, “The Minister of Finance revealed a growth rate of 3% in 2023, primarily attributed to the non-energy sector. We are of the view that the time is right for much-needed emphasis to be placed on the agriculture sector, digital transformation, the orange economy, and micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises. In this regard, we identified some of the measures outlined in the National Budget as crucial steps toward fostering economic growth and diversification in Trinidad and Tobago. The focus on developing the non-energy sector aligns with the TTCIC's mandate to build resilient and diversified economies.”

The TTCIC said it continues to “advocate for our economy through our committees — the Nova Committee, the Orange Economy Committee, and the Food and Security Committee, among others-to ensure we support our members and the national community in critical matters in the interest of our success. There are, however, some concerns that need to be addressed urgently, such as the timely access to foreign exchange and the effective implementation of the property tax system.”

The Chamber added, “Timely access to forex is vital for businesses and the economy as a whole, as it impacts international trade and the stability of the local currency. Collaboration with the private sector and the Central Bank to optimize forex utilization is essential for economic stability. In this vain, we are heartened to hear the Minister state that he is reviewing the recommendation made by the TTCIC to aid SMEs in their access to foreign exchange. Implementing an effective property tax system will require careful planning and execution to ensure fairness and compliance.”

The TTCIC said it also understands the need for an increase in minimum wage as a “necessary adjustment for the workforce given the current state of inflation. The increase also calls on employers and employees to focus on efficiency, productivity, and output. As crime continues to deter investments, impacting the well-being of citizens, it also increases the cost of business operations and business opportunities. We do believe that the proposed increase recruitment of Police Officers and allocations towards National Security will aid in this battle against criminal elements. However, we reiterate the need for collaboration with other stakeholders inclusive of private sector and civil society organization.

​The Chamber continued, “Some other positive outcomes from the Budget are the initiatives for WASA to monitor and manage water consumption, school grants, tourism upgrade initiative, new energy projects, support for smaller manufacturers through the exemption of export in the less than 30% tax bracket and cyber security investment tax allowance up to TT $500,000, which must be certified by iGovTT. It is imperative that the incentives are properly implemented and are easily accessible in an efficient manner to have a meaningful effect on the economy.”

The Media Release concluded by saying, “The T&T Chamber looks forward to working with the Government, stakeholders, and the business community for the continued development of Trinidad and Tobago.”

​AMCHAM T&T’s Response

Meanwhile, AMCHAM Trinidad & Tobago has also responded to the Budget presentation. In a Media Release on Monday, AMCHAM said, “We listened intently to the Budget presentation of the Honourable Minister of Finance. The Budget was delivered against the backdrop of a series of positive announcements in the upstream energy sector over the past month. As is usually the case, there were a number of initiatives that were designed to achieve growth in the non-energy sector. We appreciate that Budget presentations always require the Minister to balance several competing interests and concerns. Overall, we acknowledge a number of initiatives — new and existing, that are geared toward stimulating the non-energy sector. We wait to see the impact of these measures.”

​AMCHAM added, “We have seen a consistent philosophy and attempt to protect the most vulnerable in his Budgets over the past several years. We agree with this philosophy and the focus on the priority areas of education, health, and crime reduction, as per usual. As we said last year, and in years previous, the end result of this spending has to be carefully measured and reported on to determine how successful we have been. The attempts to provide more incentives to the upstream energy sector and incentivize small pool development are welcome. A re-focus on technical vocational training, digitization, and enhancing FinTech adoption are all extremely important.”

AMCHAM continued, “There are some areas in which we have concerns. Specifically, we heard about the implementation of the National Statistical Institute (NSI) without a firm timeline. We look forward to the establishment of the NSI this year as it has been featured in previous Budgets but is yet to come to fruition. The establishment and operationalization of the NSI is necessary if the Government is serious about using data to effectively design and implement policy. We welcome the Minister's commitment to establishing a mutually acceptable transfer pricing regime. Indeed, AMCHAM T&T has been advocating for this for more than five (5) years. We trust that this will be done with appropriate and meaningful consultation so as not to have a negative impact on investment. We are also happy to see the national e-ID and data inter-operability framework remaining high on the Government's agenda. We know these are underway and look forward to a full roll-out this year.”

The Media Release concluded by saying, “We support the increase in the minimum wage. We look forward to more facilitation of business and reduction of bureaucracy to enable small and medium businesses in particular to grow and therefore be able to sustain the increase.”

The Ministry of Health has launched its TTMoves app, which aims to support the Ministry's overall goal of reducing the incidence of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in Trinidad and Tobago. The Moves app has a built in pedometer feature, which allows users the ability to track their fitness journey, while achieving their overal wellness goals.

Minister of Health, the Honourable Terrence Deyalsingh, launched the TTMoves app at the Ministry's Wellness Walk and Run, which was held on Saturday 30th September 2023 at the Queen’s Park Savannah.

The Ministry notes that increased physical activity contributes to preventing and managing Non-Communicable Diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer and diabetes. It also improves overall well-being.

The Moves app counts the user's steps and has the ability to reset the progress when necessary. It also calculates the calories users have burned and the distance they've covered, providing a comprehensive overview of the fitness activity. There is a built-in pause feature, that allows the user to temporarily halt the step counter while keeping the goal intact, making this app a versatile fitness tool. The app is currently available on the Android platform and will be available on iOS soon.

The Wellness Walk and Run culminated with the North West Regional Health Authority's Health and Wellness Festival. Members of the public are encouraged to download the TTMoves app to begin their wellness journey.
​
Download the TTMoves app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.moh.ttmoves&hl=en_GB&pli=1.

According to the app’s description: “The Trinidad and Tobago Moves (TT Moves) campaign was launched in 2018 and encourages a movement for lifestyle change in direct response to the prevalence of Non-Communicable Diseases in Trinidad and Tobago. The TTMoves pedometer app can help you determine the number of steps you take throughout the day. The app counts steps for any activity that involves step-like movements such as walking, running, climbing stairs and even movement as you go about your daily chores.”