Top Cop says no policy to target young Afro-Trinidadians

(Trinidad Guardian) - Acting Police Commissioner Mc Donald Jacob says there is no policy in the T&T Police Service to target or “hunt” young AfroTrinidadians.

He was responding to a statement from the Emancipation Support Committee (ESCTT), which called on him to investigate the activities of the Port-of-Spain Task Force.

The Committee issued a release earlier this week, calling on Jacob to investigate the Task Force for “hunting” young men in the Gonzales community. The ESCTT said residents had complained of the Task Force carrying out a “regime of intimidation” after the police-involved shooting of Celestine Richards on August 19.

“That is not the policy of the Police Service. However, if persons commit crimes and they are wanted by the police, the law provides the avenue for us to make all efforts to arrest the person. But there is no policy in the Police Service to hunt down anyone in any illicit way,” Jacob said yesterday.

However, he said he had spoken to ESCTT director of Regional and Pan African Affairs Khafra Kambon over the phone and assured him that these allegations will be investigated.

Jacob said he will not hesitate to take action if the allegations are proven to be true. In the interim, he is vowing to work with the ESCTT in the affected communities.