AN INCREASE in private security and police presence was observed at the Queen’s Park Savannah on Thursday, as work resumed on the vendor booths near the Grand Stand, ahead of next month's Carnival celebrations.
Labourers and a supervisor were attending to a booth while three armed private security guards stood attentively nearby.
The increased security measures come just a week after the murder of Akeil Archer, a labourer working for one of several private contractors charged with erecting the vendors' booths.
A worker told Newsday that the work was suspended in the wake of Archer's murder since workers refused to work under dangerous conditions.
He said they downed their tools for four days before returning to work after being promised with security, which they are now satisfied with.
The increased security presence is connected to the high-level stakeholder discussions surrounding crime, which took place on Monday, following Archer's killing last Sunday.
The Ministry of National Security issued a media release on Wednesday saying line minister Fitzgerald Hinds and Tourism Minister Randall Mitchell hosted the anti-crime pre-Carnival discussion involving Port of Spain mayor Chinua Alleyne, the National Carnival Commission (NCC), the TT Promoters Association (TTPA) and the police.
The annual pre-Carnival security meeting was expedited this year after the killing of Alleyne in the Savannah.
ACP Kelvern Thompson said police had new initiatives, along with existing ones, to address concerns of stakeholders, including tourists and locals. He said the police are working with the NCC and others for “more targeted measures.”
The release noted that stakeholders, some included in Monday’s closed-door meeting, will gather weekly, starting next week until Carnival, to discuss and implement anti-crime measures.
TT CARNIVAL AMONG SAFEST
TTPA president Jerome “Rome” Precilla, who was present on Monday, said he was satisfied with the commitment shown by all stakeholders present to ensure a secure Carnival for revellers, vendors and all who are involved in the public festivities. In fact, he believes, this year will be mostly incident-free right up the two-day reign of the Merry Monarch.
[caption id="attachment_1055797" align="alignnone" width="1024"] ON GUARD: Two SWAT Security Services guards on duty at the Queen's Park Savannah on Thursday while nearby, workers were busy constructing Carnival vendors' booths. Security has been increased in the wake of the murder of a Carnival worker in the Savannah a week ago. PHOTO BY ANGELO MARCELLE - Angelo Marcelle[/caption]
Precilla said while serious crimes remain a national scourge, he believes public fears of a particularly bloody Carnival may be overstated, owing to a lack of data pointing to an increase in murders or violent crimes during the Carnival season.
“We’ll be working closely with the police to ensure that this Carnival is a safe one, as all Carnivals are,” Precilla told Newsday on Thursday.
“What we’d like to see and they said would happen is
