Senior Reporter
shane.superville@guardian.co.tt
In early April, Morvant police launched an investigation into reports that several Malick residents had been beaten by soldiers. While the enquiry is ongoing, situations where soldiers have been implicated in crimes have become increasingly frequent in recent years.
The T&T Regiment is considered to be this country’s last line of defence against foreign and domestic aggression, but what happens in situations where soldiers turn on the very people they are supposed to protect?
This week, the Guardian Media Investigations Desk focuses on why so many soldiers seem to be drifting to the wrong side of the law.
In the last four years, 14 soldiers have been charged for various criminal offences from forgery to assault and even murder. However, according to military sources, less than five soldiers per year have been discharged from the Defence Force.
In a recent incident, a group of soldiers was accused of assaulting Malick residents and firing weapons into the air in early April.
Contacted for comment, police in the North Eastern Division said no one has been arrested and a final report on the incident is expected to be completed by May 15.
In a recent interview with Guardian Media, a senior Defence Force official confirmed that there has been a noticeable increase in the number of soldiers and sailors being charged with crimes. The officer noted that while polygraphing and background checks are used to weed out potential troublemakers from the military, it is difficult to find and deal with rogue soldiers.
Living above means to blame
One soldier who spoke anonymously said many young soldiers maintain close ties with childhood friends who might be active figures in the underworld. Using his background as an example, he said it was not unheard of for off-duty soldiers to attend parties with known crime figures.
“A lot of the soldiers who I know from Diego Martin joined the Regiment around the same time as me. We all have the same friends from the neighbourhood because these are the people we grew up with, so it’s only natural for us to be around these people.
“These are bonds people carry with them throughout their life in the service, but unfortunately some soldiers can’t see that they are throwing away their career for a little bit of neighbourhood fame,” he said.
He added that many newly recruited soldiers are eager to impress friends with their newfound status and begin poor spending habits which can lead to them drifting into crime.
AWOL troops and fraud are biggest concerns
While not showing up to work might seem like a minor infraction, being absent without leave (AWOL) is usually an indicator that something is wrong with a soldier’s lifestyle, the senior officer said. Soldiers who are currently before the courts for crimes usually have poor attendance records.
“When you look at a soldier who starts to go AWOL, you see a pattern of behaviour. If you look at his financial records, he’ll have financial issues, so there’s a direct link between AWOL, financial issues and indiscipline. Sometimes soldiers may have multiple partners and are before the courts for child maintenance so AWOL usually paints a particular picture of a soldier’s financial status or personal status,” he said.
Another emerging problem is fraud in certain departments.
In October 2017, police reported that Lance Cpl Jason Richards and Pvt Josimar Belgrave were charged with 162 corruption-related offences. They were accused of inflating their rent allowance between February and July 2017.
In 2018, the soldiers were ordered to repay $1,480,000 to the Defence Force.
A source said the incident is not isolated as there have been other situations where soldiers alter pay slips and salary receipts to qualify for higher loans from financial institutions. The source said the Defence Force has met with officials from different financial institutions to inform them of these trends.
“We have since adopted certain measures like having watermarks, having certain stamps and even establishing a rapport with the financial institutions to bring it to the Finance Department of the Defence Force.
“We’ve also given gauges of what salaries should look like so you can’t have a Private salary looking like a Colonel’s salary so you will immediately know something is wrong.”
Regiment shells smuggled from shooting range
At a parliamentary Joint Select Committee on national security last March, Chief of Defence Staff Darryl Daniel admitted that while different mechanisms, including a 2023 ammunition audit, were conducted, he is unsure how spent shells with regiment markings are being found at crime scenes.
One military official suggested that spent shells at shooting ranges used by soldiers are collected by civilians who pass them on to criminals.
The source noted that while there were several unrelated incidents where spent shells with Regiment markings were found at crime scenes, there have been no situations where police found live ammunition with such markings.
“On the (shooting) range, which many people have access to, we have spent shells of many natures,” he said.
“People don’t check you when you leave a range, all you do is a declaration that you don’t have rounds or spent shells on you. What has been done is we try to clean up the area and ensure items are properly disposed of.”
Consequences for
bandit soldiers
Under former Major General Kenrick Maharaj, a zero-tolerance policy was enforced which allowed for the discharge of a soldier on statutory grounds if he was found guilty of a crime. However, after a 2017 legal challenge, the High Court found the policy unconstitutional.
In 2020, Section 85 of the Defence Act was amended to allow for soldiers charged with crimes to be suspended and their salaries interdicted, similar to the arrangement in place when police officers are charged with crimes.
However, a soldier can only be discharged from the Regiment if he is found guilty of a crime.
Unlike foreign militaries where a soldier’s military record can show if he was discharged “honourably” or “dishonourably,” a soldier in T&T can only be discharged based on his Services No Longer Required (SNLR) or the completion of his engagement once he reaches retirement age.
There are proposed amendments for this aspect of the Defence Act to be changed to allow a soldier’s record to reflect whether he has been discharged honourably or not.