At the beginning of a multi-pronged police exercise in Laventille and Port of Spain on Thursday morning, acting Police Commissioner McDonald Jacob said the police would not allow violence and fear to control communities.

He spoke with reporters outside the Excel Primary School, Beetham Gardens.

Jacob said the exercise was launched in response to the murder of reputed community leader Anthon "Boombie" Boney.

Boney was killed in Caroni on Wednesday morning.

As of 10.45 am over 85 officers in the Port of Spain division alone were in different areas.

Police split their officers into two groups which began patrols in John John, Picton and other areas in the Laventille hills while the other team searched for suspects in Beetham for whom they had warrants.

Members of the Port of Spain CID, Inter Agency Task Force, Guard and Emergency Branch and the Special Operations Response Team were part of the exercise.

There were similar exercises in the Western, Northern and North Eastern Divisions at the same time.

Jacob also took commented on the frequency of double murders in different areas, saying the operations should cause criminals to think twice before carrying out any reprisal killings.

"I hope they get the message that we are not going to sit around and allow these things to be happening in our communities.

"This approach is to serve as a deterrent to any elements who think they can create any havoc in our country.

"At this point we are concentrating in different divisions and that is based on intelligence we have. As a result of the killing of the alleged gang leader we will intensify operations."

He said there had been an increase in the number of machine guns seized by police for the year thus far compared to the same period last year, and attributed the number of multiple murders reported to this increase.

"For this year already we have recovered and seized approximately 65 machine guns and rifles when compared to last year at this time, when there were only about 35 recovered.

"When an incident happens, you will see it is two or three people being killed at one point in time, because of the nature of the weapons they (criminals) are using. In some incidents where we have two or three people being killed, sometimes one or two of them are just bystanders, but because of the nature of the weapon and how a drive-by shooting works, you will find that innocent people are being killed also."

Jacob said the police have had some success in seizing illegal weapons being smuggled into the country, but recent killings were evidence that the public must also step up and pass on information to the police.

For the year thus far the police have found and seized 540 guns.

The post Acting CoP on fears of gang violence: We won't let criminals take control appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.

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