Rio Claro police officers are solving eight of every 10 reports of Serious Reported Crimes (SRCs) within their district.
Police have also achieved a current detection rate of 83 percent and have recorded a 39 percent reduction in SRCs, which includes reports such as murders, robbery, larceny and narcotic offences.
The successes were revealed Thursday by Inspector, Rishi Ragbir, of the Rio Claro Police Station, at a town meeting held at the Rio Claro West Secondary School, Rio Claro.
Inspector Ragbir cited statistics from the Crime and Problem Analysis Branch for the corresponding period of Jan 1st to September 30th.
The Insp also disclosed that police recorded 75 SRCs, down from 123 SRCs last year, recovered 21 firearms compared to 17, arrested and charged four suspects for narcotics trafficking, and detected and issued over 700 traffic tickets, among many other successes.
According to the Insp, the achievements would not have been possible without “collaborative efforts” in the district such as the teamwork with their counterparts in the Trinidad and Tobago Municipal Police Service, led by Inspector (Ag.) Kathy-Ann Daly-Bowrin, and other key stakeholders.
Residents singled out several law enforcement personnel for their efforts in protecting and serving the community, including motorcyclist,
WPC Shurlana Loubon and Sergeant Navin Maharaj and PCs Chris Rampersad and Brenton Mahabir of the Rio Claro Criminal Investigations Department.
They however lamented over the issues of gang activity, poor customer service, indiscriminate parking and police escorts, praedial larceny, noise pollution and home invasions which they claim are undermining the police’s efforts.
Some of the residents also challenged the statistics presented, questioning whether there was a possibility of underreporting due to a lack of police trust and confidence.
In response to the concerns, Insp Ragbir revealed that under the leadership of Senior Superintendent of Police, Eastern Division, Ryan Khan, over 600 police officers have undergone customer service training this year. He said this is an ongoing exercise geared toward improving citizens’ interactions with law enforcement.
The Insp also said that the introduction of traffic police within key areas has already positively impacted the commuting woes. He said though the issue of praedial larceny remains a priority, the community has a role to assist the police in nabbing offenders as many of the farming communities are remote and the geographical mass within the police district is a challenge.
Residents were also encouraged to continue forming and joining neighbourhood watch and WhatsApp groups, which in the recent past, have proven fruitful in addressing some of the minor issues within the community.
This, as well as joining and working with the Station Council, Snr Supt Khan said will ensure that residents can have a meaningful contribution to the way they are policed. He added that through this channel, residents can also petition for police accountability and adequate feedback on matters if needed.
Snr Supt Khan told residents not to see the police as their enemies but as their friends while encouraging families to take their roles and responsibilities seriously to avoid the decay within the society.
He said anyone dissatisfied with their local police can report the matter to his office located at the Sangre Grande Police Station or report crimes anonymously through the Anti-Crime Hotline 555 or CRIME STOPPERS at 800-TIPS, if fearful.
Also present at the meeting were Assistant Superintendents (Ag.) Doodnath Jankee and Anthony Beharry.