On a positive note....I think....
Soldiers keep it cool
By Gyasi Gonzales REPUTED to be the "meanest of the bunch", the Trinidad and Tobago Regiment's approach to policing turned out to be something much different during a "tour" of Chaguanas on Monday night.
With three photo journalists and one television cameraman, "embedded" with the troops, the regiment officers drove through the borough, armed to the teeth with machine guns and emergency laws but instead of belligerence there was a lot of understanding.
From around 9 p.m. the party departed its Port of Spain installation and headed to the populous borough as the regiment wanted to show the public "its" version of a patrol, apparently having grown tired of seeing blue, "police kits" dominating newspaper front pages.
Several cars were stopped.
Some had curfew passes while others had really good explanations for breaking the one-week-old emergency laws such as, heading to the police station, heading to the health centre or heading home after picking up relatives at the airport.
One curfew breaker was found lying on the pavement along the Montrose Main Road, however.
Roughly, he was told to get up.
He tried but then he staggered as the officers quickly grabbed him, and after realising his situation, they ordered all members of the military and media party not to expose the would-be curfew breaker to any open flames.
They then made the decision to deliver the man to the Chaguanas Police Station but the sight of a roving ambulance quickly caused a change of those plans and the lucky gentleman was instead taken to the Chaguanas Health Centre by ambulance personnel.
"If he only know how lucky he is that we he bounce up," one soldier was heard telling another as they laughed among themselves.
Another curfew breaker on foot was spotted lower down the Montrose Main Road near the entrance to Longdenville.
He had a duffel bag in hand. Stopped and told that he was violating the curfew the man pleaded not to be taken to jail. "Sir, you can be charged for what you are doing," barked the lone female soldier on the tour.
He gesticulated wildly with his hands and even dipped into his bag to show the soldiers that he had nothing to hide.
"Listen, sir. Make up yuh mind is either yuh going home or in the station. Yuh have a choice," said the female officer. In the end he was bundled into the unmarked military SUV and taken back to his house in Ravine Sable. Residents could be seen peering from their homes anytime the regiment party stopped. No one dared say anything.
Chaguanas pot hounds, on the other hand, seemed to be the only ones emboldened by the State of Emergency as on many an occasion one had to drive around them as they lay fast asleep in the middle of the road.
Some even tried to bite the tyres off the military vehicles as they passed.
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/Soldiers_keep_it_cool-128722658.html