Heavy police presence at Kaia Sealy protest site

A heavy police presence descended on Barbados Road, Federation Park on Friday afternoon ahead of a planned ‘Justice for Kaia Sealy’ protest outside the Trinidad and Tobago Forensic Science Centre (TTFSC).

At about 3:25 pm, police officers lined the stretch of Barbados Road, including the corner of Barbados Road and Circular Road, restricting access to members of the public, supporters and media personnel gathering for the scheduled 3 p.m. protest.

People were pushed to the opposite side of the street near what is commonly referred to as the Police Mess, while officers blocked anyone from standing on the same side as the Forensic Science Centre.

Only residents of the area were being allowed through, with police permitting limited vehicular and pedestrian access.

Officers from several units were deployed to the scene, including the Mounted Branch, Inter-Agency Task Force, Emergency Response Patrol, divisional task force officers, charge room personnel, as well as uniformed and plainclothes police.

One officer described the area as “heavily policed”, saying police were “not taking any chances” and would not allow a repeat of Wednesday’s events.

The TTFSC was not included on the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service’s recently announced list of locations designated as no-protest or restricted zones.

During a media briefing on Thursday, ACP Kurt Simon indicated that people remained free to gather at locations not listed under the restrictions, and the Forensic Science Centre had not been named among prohibited areas.

It remains unclear whether the list had since been amended to include the facility.

A heavily tinted black vehicle, believed to be carrying a senior police official, arrived at the location shortly before 3:30 pm, but officers on the ground did not confirm who was inside.

Media personnel at the scene said they had not been allowed to interview any police officials.