Police Commissioner Released From Custody; TTPS Refutes ‘False Claims’ Regarding Search of Her Residence
Commissioner of Police, Erla Harewood-Christopher, has been released from Police custody after being held at the St. Clair Police Station in connection with the illegal procurement of high-powered sniper rifles.
Speaking to the media outside the station this afternoon (Saturday 1st February, 2025), the Commissioner’s lawyer, Pamela Elder SC, lamented that it has been a long road so far. With Commissioner Harewood-Christopher standing next to her, Elder described the incident as “outrageous.” She said, “What happened here is an outrage. It is outrageous because the Commissioner of Police was questioned, not as a person from whom the Officers wanted information, but she was cautioned, and we all know or we should know, that a caution is administered to a person against whom the Officer has reasonable grounds to suspect the person has committed an offence.”Elder added that after sitting through some of the questioning, it was clear to her that there was no evidence to support the claims being made against the Commissioner. She is therefore raising questions around the decision to detain Harewood-Christopher in the first place.
“My client has endured two (2) days of unrelenting questioning and interrogation. She has endured this interrogation as a suspect who has been cautioned and in light of that ordeal she has endured, I have advised her that though she wishes to speak, this is not the time,” Elder explained.
“The burning question which I would like answered, is ‘Who is the Senior Officer that authorized the arrest of the Commissioner of Police on material that did not establish grounds to suspect?’”
The Commissioner was arrested hours after she was questioned at the Police Administration Headquarters in Port-of-Spain on Thursday afternoon (30th January, 2025). Her detention followed the arrest of former Director of the Strategic Services Agency (SSA), Roger Best, as investigations continue into the alleged illegal procurement of sniper rifles, presumably for use within the SSA. Best is also expected to be released soon.
Meanwhile, earlier today (Saturday 1st February, 2025), and prior to Harewood-Christopher’s release, the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) said it is aware of social media posts alluding to a Police search of the residence of the Commissioner of Police, during which large sums of cash were allegedly discovered.
However, in a Media Release, the TTPS said it “categorically refutes these claims and wishes to inform the public that no such search has taken place, nor has any sum of money been found at the Commissioner’s residence. While the firearms importation investigation, led by Deputy Commissioner of Police, Intelligence and Investigations, Suzette Martin, is ongoing, these allegations are entirely false and misleading.”
The TTPS said it is urging the public to “rely on verified sources for accurate information and to refrain from spreading unconfirmed reports that may create unnecessary alarm and panic. All official updates will be communicated through the Corporate Communications Unit of the TTPS.”
Investigations are continuing.
More on this as it becomes available.
[Source: Loop]
Meanwhile, earlier today (Saturday 1st February, 2025), and prior to Harewood-Christopher’s release, the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) said it is aware of social media posts alluding to a Police search of the residence of the Commissioner of Police, during which large sums of cash were allegedly discovered.
However, in a Media Release, the TTPS said it “categorically refutes these claims and wishes to inform the public that no such search has taken place, nor has any sum of money been found at the Commissioner’s residence. While the firearms importation investigation, led by Deputy Commissioner of Police, Intelligence and Investigations, Suzette Martin, is ongoing, these allegations are entirely false and misleading.”
The TTPS said it is urging the public to “rely on verified sources for accurate information and to refrain from spreading unconfirmed reports that may create unnecessary alarm and panic. All official updates will be communicated through the Corporate Communications Unit of the TTPS.”
Investigations are continuing.
More on this as it becomes available.
[Source: Loop]
Comments
Post a Comment