The MND fully understands the frustration of the people of Trinidad and Tobago at this time of frenzied kidnapping and murder. There is however a tendency to overreact and concoct knee jerk solutions to the crime menace especially when the government appears to be totally incompetent in dealing with the issue effectively.
The resumption of hangings will not solve the problem but WILL in fact put a further cloud of darkness over our once happy nation state.
A quick glance and comparison of the murder statistics actually show that the last set of hangings reversed the downward trend of murders committed annually.
Crime fighting is not a job for the corrupt or the inept, on the contrary there are simple solutions that can be adopted to solve this menace.
One of the main reasons law and order have broken down in Trinidad and Tobago is because the agenda of the Prime Minister and Minister of National Security seems to be at odds with what we expect their agenda to be. The emphasis of these two gentlemen is not crime prevention, crime detection or punishment. Crime is being used as a tool against political opponents like an obscene game and as an excuse to buy expensive toys for somebody's personal gain - a matter the fraud squad should address their minds too.
How else can we explain the leasing of blimps that are totally useless but extremely expensive, or the billion dollar purchases of armed helicopters and gunboats to supposedly go after the drug traders when the police stations on the coast such as Maracas, Carenage and Cedros remain non existent, or the multi-million dollar purchase of a radar system that is inconsistent with the topography of our island state and therefore impossible to carry out it's stated functions?
But it is not just the government who stand guilty for the breakdown of law and order. Whilst there are many committed, decent members of the police service, there exists too many who have become political pawns or corrupt ego maniacs who tarnish the entire service and unfortunately many of them occupy the senior positions of the service.
One classic example of the stupidity and corruption plaguing the police service was displayed just Saturday evening. A very senior police officer was posted at the junction of the Western Main Road and the exit from Bayshore. This officer was directing the traffic going to the BGTT fete but for what ever reason was going through his mind decided to penalise anybody going through Bayshore and proceeded to let one car exit Bayshore to every twenty plus cars coming along the Western Main Road so causing a massive pile up. Having seen what was going on I approached the officer and suggested to the officer that what he was doing was counter productive to the regular and proper flow of traffic and unfair to many ordinary people who happened to be caught up in the traffic whilst going about their regular business. His very unfortunate answer to me was that I could not tell him what to do and he adopted a stance of total arrogance.
A little later, a plain clothes officer approached him and explained to him that a more senior officer was caught up in the traffic jam in Bayshore, who no doubt was heading to the fete - all of a sudden his approach changed and amazingly the officer let all the cars out of Bayshore.
This is a perfect example of some of the officers we have in the police service today and who tarnish the good names of officers who really want to do a good job. These bad apples believe it is a police force rather than a police service and consider themselves a law unto their own. BUT police have been hired to protect and serve NOT to hire out guns or trade in drugs or be rude and obnoxious to the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago.
This kind of badjohnism is displayed by the Prime Minister at regular intervals, this is the example he has set. It can therefore be of little surprise when subordinates get on in similar fashion or when little boys believe that to resolve any difference they must take up a gun and shoot somebody. That is the new culture created by our leaders .... BUT THAT HAS TO CHANGE.
Recently I spent two months in the UK's legal system observing procedure and the administration of justice more carefully. Even after reading about the successful use of DNA I was surprised to see just how effective a tool DNA evidence is in the fight against crime there. Murders, sexual assaults and burglaries were all being solved and committals secured because of it. In fact at least 90% of the cases I was involved in used DNA evidence to secure conviction successfully.
Yet after a crime wave in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006 we do not have the requisite legislation to allow us to use DNA as a serious crime fighting tool.
Instead emphasis is given to the bail bill. The fact is bail is at the discretion of the Court. At present a Court could deem any defendant dangerous enough to society to be denied bail, if that were the case.
Let me remind you that murder is a non-bailable offence and that the penalty for murder remains death by hanging - but this has not curbed murder in Trinidad and Tobago. And this is because people do not believe that they will be caught. That's it plain and simple. It does not matter what the punishment is if they are not going to be caught.
The other interesting observation in the UK system was that bail was not as stringent as it is here. Instead people are treated with respect and they reciprocated. Defendants were allowed bail, even after conviction pending sentence for serious crimes, and returned for sentencing without any difficulty. It is that good old saying treat people like you want them to behave and they will.
When we treat our poor like destitute criminals they will behave in that way also.
Also, the prison system is very civilized and as such there is a greater chance of rehabilitation. Interview rooms are well set out, cells are clean and well lighted, reading and other productive activity are encouraged and, there are proper toilet facilities and beds in cells. The emphasis is not on dehumanization BUT on rehabilitation, education, treatment for mental disorders, community work and productivity.
Therein lies the solutions NOT blimps, not gun boats or armed helicopters and, certainly not hangings.
I urge the population not to get dragged into the government's public relations gimmicks. Remember the police reform legislation that was supposed to solve all the ills ... where is that today?
Murder Rate
For 2008 so far:
after approximately 515 according to the statistics in 2009, 66 so far for 2010
[ 2007 - 392 murders ]
[ 2006 - 368 murders ]
[ 2005 - 386 murders ]
$100,000,000
Mr. Manning, how did you spend our $100M today?
