THE fallout from last month’s fatal firearm and ammunition heist at a police station continues to deepen as stolen firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition remain unaccounted for, fuelling fear among business owners over the potential threat to public safety.President of the Greater San Fernando Chamber of Commerce (GSFCC) Kiran Singh said the business community has since expressed grave concern over the security breach, describing the theft of weapons from a police facility as a direct threat to public safety, business confidence, and the overall sense of stability within the city and neighbouring communities.
MURDERED: Acting Cpl Anuska Eversley.
Singh said that transparency, accountability, and swift action were essential at this stage, and called on the relevant authorities to provide a clear and comprehensive public update on the ongoing audit and investigation into the missing firearms and ammunition.“The business community and the wider public deserve assurance that every effort is being made to recover these weapons, determine how this breach occurred, and implement stronger safeguards to prevent any recurrence,” said the GSFCC president.In a statement to the Express yesterday, Singh said, “The Greater San Fernando Chamber of Commerce remains deeply concerned that several firearms and quantities of ammunition stolen from the San Fernando Municipal Police Station are still unaccounted for. This matter goes beyond a security breach within a police facility—it poses a direct threat to public safety, business confidence, and the overall sense of stability within San Fernando and neighbouring communities.“The business community is understandably alarmed because these weapons are believed to be in the hands of criminal elements and could potentially be used in robberies, kidnappings, extortion, or other violent crimes targeting citizens and businesses. At a time when many companies are already burdened by rising security expenses, incidents of this nature only increase fear and uncertainty among employers, employees, customers, and investors.”Singh said that from an economic perspective, the perception that illegal firearms may be circulating unchecked can significantly undermine consumer confidence and negatively affect commercial activity. He said that businesses depend heavily on a safe and stable environment to operate effectively.“Any erosion of public trust can have serious consequences for investment, customer traffic, and the wider reputation of San Fernando as a place to live, work, and conduct business. Small and medium-sized enterprises are especially vulnerable, as many lack the financial capacity to absorb further security costs or recover from criminal incidents,” said Singh.The GSFCC president added that it supported greater collaboration between law enforcement agencies, municipal authorities, and the private sector to restore public confidence and demonstrate that decisive measures were being taken to address this serious issue.“The safety and security of citizens, workers, and businesses must remain a national priority,” said Singh.Search continues,security ‘beefed up’Last month, municipal police officer acting Cpl Anuska Eversley was beaten and strangled at the San Fernando Municipal Police Station, in an attack that saw the theft of a cache of firearms and ammunition cleared out from the station’s strongroom.Eversley, 41, who had 17 years of service with the Trinidad and Tobago Municipal Police Service (TTMPS), was killed while on overnight duty, and her body was found in the early hours of April 19 in the charge room area of the station at King’s Wharf, Lady Hailes Avenue, San Fernando.The police investigation into the theft of a massive cache of 123 firearms and over 4,000 rounds of ammunition from the station remains under active investigation, with senior officers and several of Eversley’s colleagues placed on suspension.Assistant Commissioner of Police Wayne Mystar took over at the helm of the TTMPS, in the absence of Assistant Commissioner of Police Surendra Sagramsingh of the TTMPS, who has been sent on administrative leave.The superintendent of the San Fernando station, Dustan Renn, and the four constables on duty on the shift with Eversley were sent on immediate leave. Additionally, the contract of senior superintendent of the San Fernando station Cecil Santana has not been renewed.Police have recovered a quantity of firearms and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and three people, including one of Eversley’s colleagues, have since faced the court.Municipal police constable Jivan “Bigs” Cooper, construction worker Kwame Arnold, 20, and scrap iron dealer Nicholas “Nico” Ramdass, 24, all of Claxton Bay, have appeared in court for the murder of Eversley, and the theft of the firearms and ammunition.In court, they were read the charges of possession of 114 pistols, one revolver, six shotguns, two MPX submachine guns, 173 firearm magazines for the purpose of trafficking, and possession of 4,355 rounds of 9mm ammunition, 30 rounds of 12-gauge ammunition and ten rounds of .38 ammunition.Police sources said investigators are continuing extensive enquiries into the heist as efforts continue to recover the missing weapons and ammunition that are believed to be circulating within criminal networks.The Express was told by a senior officer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, that in the aftermath of the ordeal, shifts at municipal police stations have been “beefed up”, with the implementation of more senior officers on the shifts.Additionally, there has been an uptick in attendance as there were the suspensions of senior and junior municipal police officers, and intense scrutiny of the stations since the murder and heist last month.“There was a lot of absenteeism by officers who were calling in sick and staying away for all types of reasons. It has since been observed that there has been an increase in attendance,” said the police source.The Express was told that Eversley’s colleagues continue to be counselled for the terrifying ordeal.Less than two weeks after the April 19 heist, more guns were reported missing from under the purview of the municipal police, this time from an office on Penitence Street, San Fernando.
