PM includes T&T coastline in new areas under curfew; 2,043 persons detained since Aug. 21

Carli Bay, Couva - one of the new areas under curfew

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar on Tuesday announced new areas that will be under the 11pm-4am curfew to take effect at 11 pm on Wednesday night.

She made the announcement at the daily National Security Briefing. The new areas under curfew are:

• Carli Bay
• Claxton Bay
• Dow Village-California
• Mc Bean-Couva, 
• Chase Village-Carapichaima
• Maloney
• Windy Hill-Arouca
• Toco
• Red Hill-D'abadie
• La Horquetta
• Moruga
• Cedros

Persad-Bissessar also said the curfew will extend to the sea. "Along the 362 kilometres of our Trinidad and Tobago coastline and that will extend outward, outland, by 3 nautical miles. This will also be in effect from 14th September, 2011," she said.

"Therefore, to those law-abiding citizens who have legitimate business, we give you notice of this and ask that you apply for permits so you can conduct your business within the course of the law."

Persad-Bissessar said the national security council extended the curfew based on new intelligence reports.

"We are collecting new intelligence as we are going along. This has caused us to add the new areas to the list of areas under curfew. I want to tell you, I intend to win this war. This is a fight not only between the Government and the criminals, this is a fight between the people and the criminals," she said.

With respect to the curfew at sea, Chief of Defence Staff Brigadier Kenrick Maharaj said the authorities would issue curfew permits to persons conducting legitimate business at sea.

Police Commissioner Dwayne Gibbs also spoke at the briefing, giving an update on the number of persons detained.

Gibbs said 2,043 persons have now been detained since the State ofa Emergency was declared on August 21. A total of 446 are being held in connection with gang-related activities, he added.

"This is an opportunity for us to win back the country, take control from the criminals," the commissioner said.

He also spoke about the 21 people who were released after the Director of Public Prosecutions determined that the state did not have a strong case against the men.

"They were arrested legally through the intelligence that we had. The evidence that was put forth was not strong enough to take it through the courts. I can assure you that the Police Service, the justice system, is working very hard to ensure that as we go forward, that the people that we arrested and charged will be taken through to conviction," he stated.