Senior Reporter
shane.superville@guardian.co.tt
Private security stakeholders say they are not equipped to confront heavily armed attackers and have been advised to simply take cover and report what they witness from a safe vantage point, even if they are also armed.
The advice comes from the head of the Estate Police Association (EPA), Deryck Richardson, in the wake of an attack in the carpark of the Port-of-Spain General Hospital last Sunday.
The attack, which left four men dead and four others wounded, began in Gonzales, Belmont, and ended at the hospital when gunmen in a white Nissan AD Wagon followed survivors Peter Abdul Williams, 31, Kevin King alias ‘Grimes’, and Jonathan Arjoon alias ‘J Man’ to the hospital carpark. The gunmen, who were armed with assault rifles, opened fire, killing one of the men. A fourth man, 21-year-old Jaydon Reyes, died at the scene of the shooting, which started in Gonzales.
As of Friday, no one was arrested for the murders, as police continue to follow several leads. The murders are believed to be a reprisal for the murder of Nigel Williams, alias ‘Speedy’ in McKai Lands, Belmont, on May 25. While Port-of-Spain police insist it is “impractical” to have a police post on the compound, several workers have lamented what they described as the ineffectiveness of private security companies contracted by the North West Regional Health Authority (NWRHA) to secure the facility.
Speaking with Guardian Media at the EPA’s Piarco office on Wednesday, Richardson said it was unreasonable for anyone to expect security guards to challenge heavily armed criminals, even if they were also armed. He said while criminals have been using high-powered military-grade weapons in attacks, the private security industry has not evolved to keep pace with these threats.
“Take a position where you may be able to observe and pass on information to the police. I do not encourage anyone to engage in any firefight with a superior power. Do not go and engage in any firefight when all you have is 15 rounds of ammunition and a vest, which may be compromised because you have had it for the last ten or 15 years,” Richardson said.
There are at least three security companies contracted to secure the Port-of-Spain General Hospital. Richardson acknowledged that while security guards were the first barrier between staff at the buildings, they were simply doing the best they could with what was available. Not enough armed guards Richardson said one of the challenges facing the private security industry was a lack of resources and manpower.
He said while it was unclear how many armed guards were on duty on the night of the attack, a common problem noticed in recent times was security companies “swapping” armed guards. He said this was due to a slowdown in the rate at which the TTPS processed Firearms User’s Employees Certificates (FUECs).
Referring to the murder of Telecom security guard Hasley Augustine at an ATM in Cunupia last August and the murders of Allied Security guards Jeffrey Peters and Jerry Stuart during the Pennywise Plaza heist in La Romain in 2022, Richardson said he has called on the authorities to allow security operators to have access to more than 15 rounds of ammunition while on the job. He added that, in addition to simply having more armed security, adequate training was necessary to get the most out of officers in an emergency. “We have asked the Commissioner of Police, and we’ve done so publicly, to look at how many rounds are issued to our officers.
“If you want an officer to respond, he must be trained in his response. Spending time on the range for shooting and not just regular shooting, tactical shooting, and tactical awareness consistently.”
He also called for greater transparency in the vetting process of security companies, as he suggested that officers of some firms were being granted certification on firearms handling without actually completing assessments. “Give them the proper firearms, the proper protection, and the proper training, and you’ll find you’ll get a better product.”
Security firm wants automatic weapons
Managing director of Epic Security and Intelligence Agency Company, Ravi Gajadhar, agrees that better equipping private security companies is the first step to strengthening their responses.
Speaking with Guardian Media at his Tunapuna office on Wednesday, Gajadhar, who is also a former police officer with experience working in the Morvant CID, said that given the enhanced capabilities of organised crime, security companies should also be allowed to defend themselves against gangs.
“It’s about time. I think the authorities should have a serious look at having security companies upgrade the calibre of weapons they are allowed to carry. When we go out there, we are outgunned. I have bulletproof vests that these AR 15s will cut through like butter. We’re fighting a serious fight out there.” Gajadhar said standard-issued bulletproof vests used by security companies were only effective against .45 calibre rounds fired from a pistol.
Gajadhar said, while he was not familiar with the security arrangements at the hospital on the night of the attack, that having enough security staff and supporting firearms was necessary to deal with any such attacks. He added that while security companies were not part of T&T’s armed services, the unpredictable nature of crime and violence made private groups valuable allies to the police. “We’ve gotten to a point in this country where you can’t say this person is the police, so it’s their responsibility, or this person is the army, so it’s their responsibility.
“Safety and security are everyone’s business, and what we need is a collaborative effort between all the agencies, even private security operators, for more widespread coverage.”
Security lapses not new to PoSGH
One day after the murders, a media release from the North West Regional Health Authority (NWRHA) sought to assure the public that security at the hospital would be strengthened. But staff are not convinced that current private security arrangements are enough to deter criminals from staging further attacks on the compound, especially in the wake of a murder in the carpark last Sunday. Speaking with Guardian Media on condition of strict anonymity, one attendant who has worked at the hospital for over ten years said that while the attack was the most violent incident on the compound, for employees, the threat of violence is not new.
“Sometimes you may have to remind a patient that they can’t have certain items or they can’t go to the washroom on their own, and they get very violent with you.
“I remember one time a young fella looked at me with a straight face and told me he could make one phone call and he could ‘send me home, and I don’t mean your house.’
“I took that as a really serious threat because these days you don’t know who is just talking nonsense and who might be serious.” The Port-of-Spain General Hospital is located at the corner of Upper Charlotte Street and Belmont Circular Road. Rifle Hill and St Francois Valley Road in Belmont are considered to be territories belonging to members of the Six gang, while Belle Eau Road and Serraneau Road are considered to be territories under the Seven gang.
The hospital is also within walking distance of Observatory Street, which is considered to be the territory of the Sixx gang and is bordered by Harpe Place, which is under the Seven gang. One worker said the location of the hospital between different locations has made their workplace a hotbed of activity, especially in Ward Three, where the victims of gunshot wounds are treated.
In November 2019, 25-year-old Dejean Broker was shot and killed by men wearing white coveralls similar to those used by undertakers and crime scene investigators as he lay in a bed in Ward Three.
Broker was being treated for chop wounds received in St James when he was attacked. Years earlier, in December 2001, Ronald Isaac was shot and killed while being treated for gunshot wounds in Ward 51 of the hospital. Isaac was reportedly kidnapped from Powder Magazine, Cocorite, and taken to Malick, where he was shot.
One worker at the hospital said there have been situations where members of opposing gangs have shared the same ward at the same time after shooting incidents, adding to the tension in the ward. “It really wouldn’t have taken much for one guy to pull out a cellphone and call some of his friends to let them know this person is on the ward to come now.
“There have been really heated exchanges between patients who recognise each other outside. Sometimes you are working, and all of a sudden someone just appears on the ward, and you don’t know if the security let them in.” Speaking with Guardian Media, the president of the T&T Registered Nurses Association (TTRNA), Idi Stuart, said despite the concern among staff, there were no significant reports of absenteeism as of Wednesday.
In 2018, Stuart led a protest at the hospital following attacks and sexual assaults against nurses, where he called on then national security minister Stuart Young to designate the health facility as a “hotspot.”
Stuart, when asked about it, said not only does he feel the same way about the hospital, but he said it highlighted the need for nurses assigned to the hospital and other areas to be given hazard allowances.
“There’s a particular ward that houses these persons who are shot and stabbed and all that. There are nurses who work in the Oxford Street clinics and the George Street clinic, where sadly, the average Trinidad and Tobago national would never venture to work, placing their lives at risk.
“We would have put forward a hazard allowance to the ministry (of Health), the ministry took it to the CPO, and the CPO rejected it, but we’re placing it back on the front burner.”
