Deputy Commissioner of Police Junior Benjamin said police have identified a pattern in which stolen vehicles, often with false number plates and chassis numbers, are used in shootings and murders.

"In some cases, they even paint the vehicles.'

In a phone interview with Newsday on August 9, Benjamin said police were 'constantly engaging with the licensing authority" to address the issue.

He said an increase in roadblocks was aimed at ensuring vehicles were legally registered and verifying the vehicle's owner in cases where another driver is operating the vehicle.

That increase in roadblocks is in keeping with the police's latest in-your-face policing initiative announced by Police Commissioner Erla Harewood-Christopher three weeks ago. The announcement had come in the wake of one of the bloodiest weekends on record this year, in which there were 18 murders over four days between July 12 and 15.

July eventually became TT's third most violent month in the country's history with 66 murders. Only November 2021 and August 2022 had more murders with 69 and 66 respectively.

On August 9, Benjamin said police were also gathering intelligence to help solve crimes in support of all police divisions.

'Intelligence efforts enable us to identify suspicious activities and track information through the ticket system.'

He said police were taking a comprehensive approach, including detailed investigations into individuals to understand their backgrounds.

Benjamin said vehicles were stolen either to commit serious crimes or to be sold for quick cash. He refrained from providing specific statistics as he did not have the data on hand, but stressed that stolen vehicles most often had their number plates and chassis altered before being sold.

He said police were focused on "disrupting and dismantling" criminal operations through various initiatives but refrained from making any comments on these initiatives.

Benjamin urged vehicle owners to return to basic security measures, such as locking their vehicles, using alarms, GPS systems and steering locks. He also advised buyers to ensure that vehicle transactions were legitimate and that ownership was properly transferred.

On August 8 and 9, there were two reported crimes involving stolen cars.

In St Augustine, three suspects in a gas station robbery in were forced to leave their gun and getaway car behind as police chased them after a shootout on August 9.

Reports say around 12 am that morning, two men entered a Unipet gas station in St Augustine and announced a hold up. The bandits then robbed the store, customers and a security guard, stealing bottles of alcohol, a cell phone and about $8,400 in cash.

Police were called and they confronted the bandits as they tried to escape causing a brief shootout. The suspects entered a silver Nissan Tiida and drove away but abandoned the car with some of the loot near the Tunapuna Market after being chased by police. Police then discovered that the car had been stolen.

On August 8, a man's car was stolen from the C