By Prior Beharry
RELENTLESS assault by the criminal element is still being experienced in Trinidad and Tobago and Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley is promising more “robust” responses in 2023.
In his New Year’s message, he said, “In 2022, we continued to experience the relentless assault of the criminal element, resulting in a record number of murders, facilitated, and bolstered by other alarming incidents of crime, such as persistent gun running, institutional corruption and facilitation as well as the ever-present growth of gang activity in many parts of the country.
“Whilst none of this is new, it is clear that the scale and frequency of these negative strands of the fabric of our society require constant review and more robust targeted responses if we are to suppress and eradicate them from our future.”
Dr Rowley said the Government commits to making 2023 a year of public review and consequent overhaul and redoubling of efforts aimed at increased focus on:
- The utilisation of the considerable resource allocation to this sector.
- The public health consideration of criminal conduct in our society.
- A renewed attempt at Parliamentary intervention in support of the work of agencies and institutions.
- A continued identification and urgent support for “at risk” groups and expansion of the many youth development programmes.
- Improvements in sustained and effective law enforcement.
He said, “We start off these approaches and commitments with a series of public conversations in early 2023, to be followed by the necessary interventions as deemed necessary.”
Citing recent surges of Covid-19 in China Dr Rowley said that the pandemic was not yet over and promised a to ramp up the vaccination programme in the New Year.
He said, “It is really to the credit of us all that, so far, we have been able to overcome the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, although we keep our eyes on the external confirmations that it is not over, given the recent surge of new cases in China, and the reported increase in hospitalisation in the United States.
“Even more concerning is that some travel restrictions have begun to be reintroduced in some parts of the world. However, beginning next week, the Government plans to ramp up its booster vaccination campaign, largely targeting the elderly and most vulnerable as well as the unvaccinated.”
He said, “The Government will also continue to be guided by our Public Health professionals and place our confidence in the level of induced and natural immunity which currently resides in the general population.
“This should serve us in good stead barring the emergence of any new and more dangerous strains of the lingering virus.
“Under these circumstances and especially given the coming of the Carnival season, I implore each and every one of you to be ever mindful of the threat posed by the virus as we continue to do whatever is deemed necessary to minimise spread and personal exposure.”
