US $94,000 MISSING…Vanishing act
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An investigation has been launched into the disappearance of US$94,000 from the Couva Police Station’s property room. The money, which was placed in sealed envelopes, was discovered missing by ASP Jules when he assumed duties on Monday morning. He is the lone property keeper for the Couva Police Station. The missing money was an exhibit from a court matter seized during a police raid at a house in Couva on November 8 last year. Derrel Bishop was arrested and charged with unlawful possession of the cash. The matter was called at the Couva Magistrates Court three weeks ago. Bishop is to reappear in January 11. Acting Commissioner of Police, James Philbert, has since appointed senior police officers attached to the Anti-Corruption Bureau to investigate the matter. ’No action has been taken yet, since I did not get full briefing on the matter. I was informed about the disappearance last night (Tuesday),’ he said yesterday. Philbert said after investigations are completed a decision would be taken as to whether any officers attached to the police station would be suspended or transferred. Senior Superintendent Terry Young and ASP Carlyle Huggine visited the Couva Police Station yesterday. The Express was told that several officers will be interviewed in connection with the missing money. There were no closed circuit television cameras at the police station. At the luncheon hosted by the Media Association of Trinidad and Tobago (MATT) at the Hilton Trinidad on Tuesday, Philbert had indicated that since the search at the St Joseph Police Station, which found guns, an undisclosed quantity of ammunition, cocaine and marijuana in the ceiling, there was a lot of ’interest in terms of accounting of the things that come into our possession’. ’That investigation is almost completed; we are waiting on some DNA samples to come back … but we have at least charged one officer in that and the other findings that have come about relate to policies that will need to be drawn up and some resources that have to be put in place in the event of property that comes into the police station,’ he said. Another prospect they are looking into as a result of the find, is a computer software programme that allows the police to track all the evidence that comes into their possession. ’What is done abroad is something that would avoid looseness of property … there is a piece of software that we want to acquire which will help us identify firearms and ammunition and all of those things police come into possession of so if we need to find out the source of these we can easily trace it,’ he added.(Trinidad Express) -with reporting by Aabida Allaham |
