Two ladies in the early afternoon—to which we refer colloquially as after lunch—park a vehicle in an area, not isolated from one of its entrances, and enter a shopping mall. An hour later, as they are exiting the mall, they see a man standing adjacent to their vehicle. They have …
Read More »Daly Bread: From Bolsonaro to Griffith, are we tackling crime from the wrong end?
Approximately one year ago, shortly after his appointment, Commissioner of Police, Gary Griffith likened the criminal elements to ‘cockroaches’ and added that those cockroaches should be ‘crushed’. The Commissioner has company. The following report appeared last week in the UK Guardian newspaper: “Brazil’s far-right President, Jair Bolsonaro, has said he …
Read More »Fixin’ T&T slams ‘dangerous, hypocritical, irresponsible’ response to murders by business community
“What exactly is the T&T Chamber of Commerce advocating? Does the T&T Chamber of Commerce condone breaking the law to enforce the law? “Will the T&T Chamber of Commerce support extrajudicial killings as a tool that should be used to address our untenable crime situation?” The following retort to the …
Read More »Daly Bread: Murder 24/7; cold comfort as Govt finally acknowledges dire situation
We are all acquainted with the expression 24/7 meaning continuous shifts or round-the-clock service. Sadly, our country is now a country of murder 24/7. Underlining that fact, we actually managed to have 24 murders within a seven day period, causing Guardian media to assert in a page one editorial on …
Read More »Brutal breaching—Pt 2: X marks the 1990 spot but the enduring political question is why
Yasin Abu Bakr loves the soap-box. The witness box or the dock? Not quite so much. So at the post-27-July-1990-coup trial, there was no grand “History will absolve me” peroration. None was needed. Not in Clebert Brooks’ court. With no legal training, you would say that an amnesty signed because …
Read More »Dear Editor: Victims of our own conceit; man must live, so only justice can counter crime
“Corrupt politicians and unscrupulous business owners are responsible for the runaway crime rate in our country. “[…] Crime existed ages before there were government contracts and crime is the hallmark of an unregulated society, one that is full of oppression. History would show that all such societies implode over time.” …
Read More »Demming: Until PNM and UNC unite on crime, we are all sitting ducks
The societal breakdown around us is palpable. Everywhere you turn there is chaos, indiscipline and manifestations of a society about to implode. Once you leave your home, your senses are assaulted by aggressive driving, loud music, lack of courtesy and piles of garbage. These assaults are carried out by people …
Read More »Noble: The deafening sound of silence; Colleen’s cry exposes the hypocrisy all around us
In the mid-60s, Paul Simon wrote: “And in the naked light I saw/ten thousand people maybe more/ people talking without speaking/people hearing without listening/ people writing songs that voices never share/and no one dared disturb the sound of silence..” These lines are about us, our crime situation and the impertinent …
Read More »Dear Editor: Inaction from Lyons and HDC is allowing crime to spiral at Oropune Gardens!
“The blame for the spiralling crime in the community rests with the HDC. They are fully aware that they are not enforcing the rules that will allow the community to remain safe. “[…] Illegal occupancy, use of unoccupied / vandalised units, poor street lighting, poor lighting in car parks and …
Read More »Daly Bread: Blinkered view of crime; why Young’s ‘big fish’ talk fails to convince
Last week, in the course of the latest Parliamentary debate on crime, talk of ‘big fish’ came up again in the speech of the Minister of National Security, Stuart Young. First, let’s set out the context. The terms of the Opposition motion for debate asked the Senate: “to take note …
Read More »Dear Editor: Only justice can solve war between ‘haves’ and have-nots’, not ‘one shot, one kill’
“The police and the police commissioner are not supposed to declare war on the citizens of the country. They are supposed to bridge the gaps and develop and maintain good relationships with the people in the communities. “[…] The youths in our communities are not criminals by nature; it is …
Read More »Dear Editor: Make the criminals leave Temple Street, not the students!
I read recently that the Ministry of Education has ordered the Arima Hindu School, located on Temple Street to be closed, as consequence of an upsurge of crime in that community. Now I don’t want to jump the ‘gun’, since there was to be a meeting at the Arima Town …
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