9 posts tagged “crime”

It is Good Friday around the World and a day that is rife with ‘fete matches’ throughout Trinidad and Tobago.  This is the day that the Bobolee is beaten and laughter erupts in park areas as young and old alike attempt to climb the greasy pole to get the prize at the top of the pole (usually a leg of ham). Indeed it is a wonderful experience for everyone and jokes abound about the 'barrel wash' juice that is served.

The time is now 10:45 am and I just read an article on today’s Trinidad Guardian that caused me to pause. There are now 90 deaths caused because of premeditated/spur of the moment rage/ruthlessness that resulted in murder. What a disgrace and shame as the Easter religious period arrives with so much hate and despair in the society. We have a small sector of the society hell bent on creating chaos and mayhem at a time when we can hardly keep our heads above the financial despair that has gripped so many families in the society. Fear of an uncertain future, fear of crime and the criminal element at a time when we should be celebrating the gift that the Creator has given to us. The malicious element will not rest and have no respect for life, liberty and happiness unless it is their life, their liberty and their happiness.

So today when you stand on the sidelines and enjoy a bellyful of laughter because of the great camaraderie on the playgrounds pause and reflect at our present state. Enjoy the moment and celebrate with your friends and family but remember that tomorrow we just may be reading about another murder another senseless crime that will surely bring pain and suffering to somebody’s family.

We are not alone and we must make an effort to stem the tide of despair brought about by these nefarious elements in the society.  So go out and have some fun, laugh and cheer on your friends and family but be safe and think about how you can help to right the ship in these turbulent times. 

If you are a Christian and you believe in the Gospel then your faith will guide you to always make the right decisions. Remember to pause, even walk away from an argument that could lead to some of the senseless mishaps that resulted in the loss of life.  Franklyn Dolly hosted a show on WACK radio 90.1 FM in which he spoke about ‘dispute resolution and the state of our emotional bank’. He said that we should take the time to ‘talk it out’; those are simple but very powerful words. It seems that we have lost our way and it is more about me than us. We must never ever forget that in this life we are in it together forever like a husband and wife.  We must learn to ride the rough waters and not run out to divorce each other as a first resort. There are options out there; we need to seek them out!

So go and beat the Bobolee and release your tensions, hug your friends and always remember to set the stage so that the children will learn to do things the right way – they are always listening and watching, what example are you teaching?

Happy Good Friday, happy Easter, may God bless us and guide us all too always do the right thing, to set the right example.

“Violence and criminal activity affect the image of a country, so the effort to ensure sustainable tourism and security must remain constant, and with organize crime growing, tourist are very sensitive.”  Those were the comments of the newly appointed secretary general of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), Mr. Luis Andrade Falla.  He also went on to state that, “as a result of the crime issue, statistics have shown a grave decline in tourism growth both here in T&T and the Caribbean.”

http://www.guardian.co.tt/news3.html

I am sure that the government of Trinidad and Tobago will have a “now wait just one minute now” statement that will remind people that the hotels were all sold out for the 2008 Carnival celebration. They will also state that the amount of arriving passengers for the Carnival celebration went up from the previous year even though many governments issued warnings about the upsurge of crime to their citizens travelling to Trinidad.  Do you believe that Trinidad and Tobago’s government will admit that crime is an issue that affects the image of the country? I mean there are so many construction projects taking place in the city with more planned to start soon. We are a developing society with so much to offer so this picture about crime may not be in the interest of the country and the plans of the present administration.  We wait with bathed breath for a response from the government.

Maybe the government is not too concerned about these statements because they have the situation under control. Yea right and pigs do fly! The court system is constantly releasing persons accused of serious crimes including murder because witnesses are scared to give evidence because they don’t believe that the state can and will protect them.  The recent report on crime shows an upsurge in every category. What has the government done to help fight crime? Well let’s see we purchased blimps (Lord knows for what purpose), no additional police officers to patrol the districts or help fight the current state of unbelievable criminal activities. The police service is corrupted with officers breaking the law and getting away with it. This situation cannot be allowed to continue. We have a problem with illegal guns and drugs. Criminal gangs are in control of districts and are spreading and taking control of more areas. The government doesn’t seem to be able to act and act decisively.

So while we continue to debate the issues nothing gets done and when something is accomplished every politician wants to take credit for it.  The story continues to get worse with the current upsurge in crime and criminal activities against a scared and helpless society. People don’t have a choice while the Prime Minister is protected by a private security detail costing millions of dollars yearly.  It is a shame that this situation continues when we have the resources to right the ship however, we don’t have a determined government that is willing to take drastic actions to correct this stain on the image of the islands.  In the end all we get is more rhetoric and political mama-guy.

Indeed the situation will continue and we will pretend that the situation is not past serious while governments around the world will continue to issue warnings regarding travel to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.  Mr. Falla is correct when he stated that “violence and criminal activity affect the image of a country.”  Maybe one day the government with adjust its priorities and come up with a plan to clean up crime and by extension the image of the country – just maybe.

Also posted @ www.santimanitay.com/

Feb 13, 2K8

Professor Deosaran has intimated that it is time for the government to rethink the entire URP program because too many of the personnel involved in the program are involved in criminal activities.  He claims that programs like the URP are responsible for some of the gang warfare being experienced in the country.

Senator Professor Ramesh Deosaran stated that: "The URP solution is not working. Too many of the URP members and its foremen have been engaged in criminal activity. And it is no longer feasible for the Government to defend the URP, when the evidence is mounting all over the country as to the implications of the URP formula - the rivalry, the gangsterism, the battle for turf, accompanied by drug trafficking in some cases, all aggravating public concern over what is happening in Picto." This was reported in the Trinidad Express Newspaper today.

It is now a case of ‘water more than flour’ and the government needs to act responsibly and act now. Mr. Deosaran suggested that a limited state of emergency should be put into effect to help put a stop to the mayhem taking place in the country.  Most people are fearful of the repercussions that any state of emergency would result in even if it is only put in place in the Laventille area.

There are so many social ills in the country and it is time civics lessons are reintroduced into the classrooms to help people to learn to conduct their lives in a decent and respectable manner. In the end education is the key to most of the social ills being experienced today.

Jan19, 2K8

Patos has done it again and right under the nose of a population who don’t seem to get it. The murder rate is escalating and all types of criminal activities are getting out of hand. So when citizens decide to protect themselves by hiring private armed guards within community crime watch groups the government was against this move. Now we learn that the Prime Minister and certain government ministers and agencies are being protected by a private company where the minimum pay per guard is $10,000.00 per month and with a maximum of $25,000 per month for certain positions in the new force.  Of course the company is located in the Prime Minister’s constituency and the guards are all ex police and military officers. Having noted that, the question arises about the role of the security detail of the state that once protected the Prime Minister and other ministers.  They are not good enough to protect the Prime Minister but just right for the job of protecting the citizens of the country – nice job Mr. PM. I wonder what the people who voted the PNM into office are thinking now. Just imagine a minimum cost of $750,000.00 per month is being spent to protect the Prime Minister and family and other Government ministers when the police could be doing it at no additional cost to the country. What are the military personal protecting and why can’t they be more involved now that the criminals are waging an 'undercover war' against the citizens of the country?  Patos has done it again and with this ground breaking move has become the first PM of Trinidad and Tobago to say, without uttering a word, that the Police service of Trinidad and Tobago really sucks!

Grim Reaper love Criminals

Jan09, 2K8

The Grim Reaper has taken the country and High Commissions abroad are issuing travelling advisories that negatively impact the reputation of Trinidad and Tobago – for good reasons dear readers! However, the Government of Trinidad and Tobago seems dumbfounded and unable to wrest itself from this malaise that is now crippling the reputation of our beloved country. Listen to the Government, listen good … silence or a rehash of the electoral promises to resolve this damning problem.  I say that we should recall the votes and go to the damn polls again! All the supporters whom were celebrating the electoral success of the PNM have enjoyed the party scenario too much  and are now  prepared for another party with the shortened  Carnival season in full swing. The typical Trini party mentality has blindsided them and they can’t find their way out. The majority of the nation  seems to be wearing blinders and are at Santa Rosa hedging their bets on PM Manning’s ability to befuddle the populace into thinking that things will really get better. Instead things have gotten worse and there are already double figure murders recorded for the first eight days of the New Year. Why would any sensible thinking person travel to Trinidad for the Carnival celebration when these villains are free to roam and continue robbing and pillaging the landscape? Petty thefts, robberies with firearm in daylight and at tourist sites are now common occurrences.  People are not even making it to their destination after leaving the airport without getting robbed.  Trinidadians only scream bloody murder when they are eventually affected personally. Just wait till the Carnival is over … all hell will break loose!

Honorable Patrick Manning

Jan03. 2K8.
Prime Minister Manning is convinced that the Government will get control and improve the seemingly cancerous crime situation that exists presently. He is confident that there would be improvements this year, 2008 and boldly stated that much while taking his first official tour of the New Hyatt 5 star hotel in Port of Spain.  Apparently the PM does not read the daily news papers or no one keeps him up to date with the current statistics – we are off to an inauspicious start that has already made the headlines beating back the death toll in Iraq for the same period. The PM believes that the only problem is the drug trade and is expecting to receive a boost in cutting the drug deliveries shortly: "We are getting three OPV (offshore patrol vessels); we are buying six fast patrol boats, four armed helicopters, interceptors... It is a whole gamut, all of those decisions are already taken” as reported in the Trinidad Express Newspaper.  Everyone is aware that it goes deeper than that with the total social structure of the society in question.  However, the PM has to start somewhere and he needs to make the nation feel that his administration is about to fix the problem. Let’s hope that he is on the money just as he was with his election predictions. I pray that he is correct but the trend does not support this conclusion.

Ian Alleyne, Crime Watch President

Jan02. 2K8.

Hold on a sec Mr. Alleyne, I agree that we should not embrace criminals but to criticize the Government for attempting to rehabilitate these elements is counter productive instead they should be applauded and not condemned (Lord knows that I ent no supporter of the Manning administration, but...).  Mr. Alleyne pointed to the killing of ‘small Salim’ who headed a work gang of the URP program.  Mr. Salim Rasheed was described as ‘a hired assassin by the police’ (see complete story at http://news.bn.gs/index.php) with alleged connections to criminal activities in the Country.  I am aware of the crime problem back home with a reported 5 murders to start the New Year and a total of 9 in the 24 hours leading from the the last day of 2007 into the New Year 2008! God knows that we need the Government to do more to combat crime so I will support whatever effort the state makes to curb this sickness.  However, there is a chance that those persons with known criminal records can rehabilitate their lives if given the opportunity to earn income and bypass the temptation to a life of crime. So even thought Mr. Alleyne my have the country’s reputation and interest at heart he must understand that we need solutions to the crime situation. Let us applaud the efforts of the Government to start somewhere – employment of known criminals is a start. Many persons resort to criminal activity to earn income because they don’t see a way out. I don’t applaud such decisions by these people Mr. Alleyne and I do believe that everyone deserves a second chance (after you pay your dues to society) but then again, 'monkey doh see dey own tail'!

To Protect & Serve

Today as I was travelling to Church with my friends Pierre and Walter we noticed two police officers speaking to the driver of a vehicle they had pulled over.  I said to Pierre, damn look at their faces, is it the training they received or have they become jaded doing the job?  Now remember folks the police are servants of the state and have the responsibility to protect and serve the very civilians whose tax dollars are responsible for the paycheck they receive.  Your neighbor could be the nicest individual you know but once they have gone through the training to become a police officer you see a change in attitude and the person you once knew is not the same anymore. Seldom will you come in contact with a police officer who is kind and caring, instead they are suspicious of your intentions and speak to you in a very stern manner. One wrong word or sentence from you and the officer could become a pig and treat you as public enemy number one! So is it the training or something about the fraternity of  the police order that brings about this change. It has been said in some circles that you can't tell the police from the crooks - in other words wolves in sheep clothing. Do you have a good or bad Cop story? Do you think that they serve with respect or do you consider them oinkers?

Crime & Punishment

The Trinidad Express Newspaper ran a story about a young woman who was caught with 1072.34 grammes of cocaine, which carries a street value of $400,000. She had the drug in the linings of her suitcase and in a laptop.  Now instead of giving her jail time the Arima Magistrate decided to fine her a paltry sum of $10,000.00.  What a sad decision when one considers that the stuff was worth nearly half a million dollars on the street. Clearly the message here is that crime does pay when one considers the mathematics and no jail time. Indeed, this can be considered a judicial blunder and obviously it sends the wrong message in the fight against criminal activities. The decision is clearly  one that the criminals would applaud. Now you can understand why some people say the Law is an ass!