Camp St. Jail Searched ahead of Mashramani celebrations

By Leroy Smith

In a clear case of “Once bitten, twice shy” the joint services are not taking any chances and today (Tuesday, February 21, 2017) conducted a five-hour sweep of the Camp Street Jail in Georgetown.

On February 23, 2002, while the nation gyrated to Soca songs and calypsos, five notorious criminals broke their way out of the jail, killing one security guard in the process and injuring another.

Those events saw an avalanche of serious crimes inclusive of kidnapping, gunning down of civilians and police, robberies and gun wars. Commander of ‘A’ Division Clifton Hicken today spoke of the jail sweep operation today.

“Our intelligence did not inform us that there is a planned prison break but (because) of precaution, we are conducting a joint service operation as we speak. You will find that happening every month but in terms of the timings of the month and what going on and what is prevailing. I don’t want to say too much but we do not want to have the elements of surprise anymore in that regard” Hicken said.

The commander also told the News Room that the search for the month of February was brought forward given the revelations that a woman who was found with a grenade and cocaine last week was actually attempting to smuggle the items into the Camp Street jail.

Kelly Ann Martins, 27, of Lot 288 Ramsingh Street, Sophia, Greater Georgetown was yesterday (Monday, February 20, 2017) was charged and remanded to prison for the possession of a smoke grenade, which police say she was going to smuggle into the  Camp Street Prison.