Police: No bomb threat at Besson Street Station

State of emergency declared in TT

THE Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) has said there was no evidence to support claims on social media of a bomb threat to the Besson Street Police Station, in Port of Spain, where a little over a week ago, a man was gunned down outside the compound.

On January 6, Newsday saw a WhatsApp message saying, “Information received that Besson Street Police Station is under bomb threat and officers are on heightened alert. There is (sic) traffic restrictions at front of the station at this time.”

The message was marked by WhatsApp as being forwarded many times.

The message began circulating after steel barricades were erected outside the station sometime over the weekend.

The barricades prevent motorists from entering Besson Street from the western end.

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A media release from the TTPS on January 6 said it was aware of the information but added, “We can confirm that, as of this time, there have been no reports or evidence supporting such a threat at the station.”

It suggested the barriers were part of heightened security measures as a result of the state of emergency (SoE).

“The TTPS remains vigilant, and all police stations across the country continue to operate on heightened alert in alignment with security protocols during the ongoing SoE.”

It urged the public to remain calm and not share unverified information that may cause unnecessary panic.

“Public safety remains our highest priority, and we are actively monitoring and addressing any potential threats.”

A shooting outside the Besson Street Police Station on December 28 which left a man dead is believed to be the catalyst for the SoE.

Gunmen with automatic rifles waited in white panel van outside the station and ambushed a group of men as one of them came out of the station after signing his bail book.

Police found Trevor Williams, 34, dead on the pavement and spent 5.56 ammunition on the ground nearby.

Police believe another man who escaped was the target.

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The shooting is believed to have sparked a feud between warring gangs in East Port of Spain and Laventille, and police investigators believe it was the motive behind the murder of five men in Prizgar Lands, Laventille on December 29.

At a media conference on December 30 to discuss the SoE, acting Attorney General Stuart Young and Minister of National Security Fitzgerald Hinds said information reaching police was that there was an imminent threat of gang-related reprisals stemming from the two incidents.