Nine T&T Police Service Eastern Division officers from a specialized squad were detained yesterday by Professional Standards Bureau (PSB) agents.
The arrests followed the conclusion of the PSB’s investigation into claims made by a business owner that many officers had forcibly extracted money from him and other business owners over a period of time.
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The PSB officers read warrants for arrest to the cops while they were being held at the Sangre Grande Police Station.
According to Guardian Media, some of the officers were having a meeting with a senior when the PSB police interrupted it to conduct the arrests.
The officers’ houses and lockers were later searched by the investigating PSB officials.
The nine cops who had been detained were later transferred to the Port-of-Spain PSB, where they were anticipated to face charges of misconduct in public office.
Following allegations of an extortion scheme involving officers in a social media post from last month, the T&TPS and Police Complaints Authority (PCA) launched separate investigations.
In a video being circulated on the internet, a man posing as a former law enforcement officer and a relative of a businessman from Sangre Grande claimed that police in the Eastern Division had been taking “tax” from illegal operations and roulette machines, as well as asking for payments from his relative to keep the business running as a form of bribery.
A relative of the businessman stated that “On a monthly basis, they will enter his business and if not given the requested amount, they will then venture to take whatever money is in the register or elsewhere.”
Further adding that the owner of the establishment has previously reported the matter, however, nothing was done to resolve the issue, “He has reported this matter to the PSB (Professional Standards Bureau) since last year, accompanying it with this video and to date nothing has been done. He is also concerned that these very officers may plant illegal drugs on his premises and then hold him accountable for it, or physically harm him. These said officers were recorded demanding a bribe from a Chinese businessman.”
The social media post includes a recording of a phone call in which the caller, who is reputed to be an IATF officer who was once assigned to the Eastern Division, is overheard requesting $30,000 for “the boys.” The amount sought is too excessive, according to a voice on the other end of the line who claims to be a Chinese businessman, and instead recommends that the customary monthly payment of $10,000 will be made.
According to reports, the group that conducts their extortion bid has been active since the COVID-19 lockdowns and included an inspector and three constables.
After the incident was covered by mainstream media, other businessmen leveled comparable accusations.
PBS’s ACP Chandoor supervised the examination.
