Kamla to Gov’t: Put Anti-Crime Plans in Place

By Prior Beharry

OPPOSITION Leader Kamla Persad-Bisessar says Trinidad and Tobago are in the “early throes of anarchy” and is calling on the Government to implement some anti-crime plans.

In a release on Wednesday, she listed a number of recent crimes, adding that Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has not yet responded to her letter about the Government and Opposition coming together to deal with the issue.

She said, “While the country awaits an official response to my letter to Keith Rowley, where I outlined plans to secure the citizenry and also requested the addition of stakeholders to proposed talks, I am hard-pressed today to speak on behalf of our besieged nation.

“The government seems to erroneously believe they have a license to do nothing to reign in the runaway violent crime crisis until the proposed anti-crime talks. I call on the government to immediately implement some practical anti-crime initiatives in the interim to stem the bloodshed and terror.”

Persad-Bissessar said in the past couple of days, there have been multiple ghastly murders, brutal home invasions, shootings, and audacious threats from gangs to harm our courageous police officers.

She said, “The raw reality is that Trinidad and Tobago is in the early throes of anarchy, with unrelenting horrific crimes, a low detection rate, no government crime prevention plans, and an overburdened judicial system leading to social decay.

“A decomposing female body was found dumped, a corpse was discovered down a precipice, people were killed while conducting transactions, an elderly business family was savagely attacked, and a teenager went missing. That is a mere snapshot of the rampant and unchecked violence and disorder.”

I urge Rowley to listen to the call of citizens, the business community, and civil society to remove Fitzgerald Hinds as National Security Minister and institute immediate practical measures to protect the citizens from ruthless criminals.