FOR the second time in less than one week, security guards attached to Securicor Security Limited have been held up in a million dollar robbery, but the company’s managing director, Brian Ramsey says he is staying absolutely quiet on the fact.

Last Wednesday, three of the firm’s security officers were relieved of about $5 million in Ste Madeline, and yesterday the Port-of-Spain arm of PriceSmart Trinidad Limited, was robbed of over $1 million made up of cash and cheques, which represented Saturday’s proceeds.

But quick action by police resulted in the arrest of a 25-year-old Port-of-Spain man and the seizure of part of the million dollar loot. A stolen red Mitsubishi wagon and a total of three firearms including one that was stolen from a Securicor guard were also recovered. The man’s accomplice escaped and up to late evening had not been captured.

Reports are that around 11.30am Securicor officers Henwood and Moore were performing cash intransit at PriceSmart, Audrey Jeffers Highway, when they were confronted by two armed men, who pointed their weapons at them. This was in the Car Park area, situated on the eastern side of the building.

Police said one of the guards was robbed of his .357 Magnum Ruger revolver with six rounds of ammunition, while the other Securicor officer was robbed of a sealed container containing a quantity of cash.

The bandits then escaped in a grey Mitsubishi Lancer with the Securicor van in hot pursuit.

The bandit’s vehicle crashed after leaving the compound. Police said the men fired their way out of the vehicle and later boarded a red Mitsubishi wagon which was left unattended on the Audrey Jeffers Highway.

Police were alerted and cut-off points were instituted and the red vehicle was spotted on the Lady Young Road. While police chased the vehicle, lawmen said the bandits abandoned it by the Flyover on the said road. A search involving the national helicopter, members of the joint police/army patrols and PCs Sylvester Malco and Grant, who were both returning from Tunapuna, responded on the search. Officers from the Port-of-Spain, Western, North Eastern Divisions and the Guard and Emergency Branch (GEB) also responded.

The chase continued along the Lady Young Road. Marked police jeeps and cars were seen driving in a hurried manner as they intensified their search for the bandits.

The vehicles were seen along the Lady Young Road, Plover and Jacobin Streets and in the vicinity of the Police and Fire Stations. As a result of the midday drama, a number of people stood still on roadsides, trying to find out what happened.

A 25-year-old man of Nelson Street was later arrested with a black bag containing sums of money believed to be connected with the robbery. He was also allegedly held with two revolvers and 11 rounds of ammunition.

Meantime, at the scene, a group of concerned citizens looked into the crashed Lancer vehicle and observed a revolver resembling the one that was stolen from the security officer. The citizens, who did not want to be identified, took protection of the vehicle, awaiting police return. A party of officers headed by Assistant Commissioner of Police (Crime) Oswyn Allard and several others visited the scene and found a loaded revolver in the vehicle. A spent shell was also found.

Allard yesterday said he wanted to offer his thanks and sincere appreciation to the citizens for their co-operation in the fight against crime.

The Police Crime Chief also expressed thanks to other security services who, when contacted, responded in the search. He also thanked the officers involved in the chase. Allard also said that one of the aspects of the police crime fighting strategy revealed itself yesterday and that as they go along they will be constantly looking at the strategies to perfect them. He refused to say what the strategies are.

Ron Milford, PriceSmart’s vice president, spoke little on the incident, only saying what he had heard, while Ramsey said he had no comment to make on how he felt about the fact that it was the second time in less than five days that Securicor officers were involved in a robbery. He, however, confirmed the incident. Investigations are continuing.