No, no Mr Jacob, Acting Commissioner of Police, you cannot expect us to be patient and bear with the police in tackling crime. During the 20 years of these weekly columns, violent crime—particularly murder and the impunity with which it is committed—has been a high profile subject. As long ago …
Read More »Daly Bread: Nowhere to turn as Govt and TTPS fail to act meaningfully against violent crime
While in a heightened state of mourning for lost and abused children and murdered women, we had another week of ole talk in a continuing demonstration of the inability of Government and the poorly managed Police Service to take meaningful action against violent crime. Even as Minister of National Security …
Read More »Daly Bread: Our enduring epidemic of denial as violent crime ravages T&T
I am frequently drawn by the direct and uninhibited language of fellow Trinidad Express columnist Joanne Paul. In her commentary last Monday, Dr Paul treated with our massive diabetes problem. Interestingly, from my perspective, she came to the conclusion that it was time to acknowledge the truth. ‘Things are …
Read More »Noble: Hustling into anarchy; the intersection between police, politicians and criminal posses
In 2005, Steve Jobs addressed the new graduates of Stanford University. He advised: “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. You have to trust the dots will somehow connect in your future.” It is easy to miss the connections in our rancorous society …
Read More »Noble: Pivot or perish; how T&T’s constitutional violations led to violent crime surge
Covid-19 brought an exhausting string of events. First, we had to wash our hands, and then we had to wear masks, social distance from all, then lockdown. To be vaccinated or not. Fear populated our every moment as we realised how little control we had over our lives. The feeling …
Read More »Vaneisa: When does evil begin? The making and breaking of Joel Balcon
The revelation that Joel Balcon had been charged with 70 criminal counts remains a scandalous indictment of this country. But where in the system is the blame to fall? In the Express of 4 February, Anna Ramdass reported an interview with an unidentified attorney who said he had previously represented …
Read More »Noble: Will Trinidad and Tobago’s lambs remain silent—satisfied by the ‘appearance’ of crime fighting?
‘The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance.’ — John Philpot Curran (1790). As a nation, we are sliding into a place of great sadness. The economy’s growth engines are shutting down, and there is a collapse of law and order. Daily, it becomes more …
Read More »Daly Bread: Entrepreneurial spirit of Carnival artistes provides light in gloom of violent crime
Today on what should have been Carnival Sunday, I find myself in a place where darkness and light have fiercely contested for attention throughout the preceding week. The contest between darkness and light has been triggered, on the dark side, by the murder of Andrea Bharatt; and, on the light …
Read More »Media Monitor 2: An Obscene Farce! St Vincent St, Independence Sq, Memory Lane and and Shit Street
“Nah, sir!” Two words, no more. But I know I heard controlled anger. I know I heard complete disbelief. “You mean you read (she used the present tense) that Sunday Guardian editorial,” she said, her voice almost breaking with the effort not to lose control, “and only see grammatical errors?” …
Read More »Dear editor: ‘Women and children deserve to feel safe!’ Three ways to address gender-based violence
“[…] The reality of Trinidad and Tobago does not allow women and girls to enter into public spaces without experiencing some form of fear and discomfort. “Socialisation of our men and boys must be acknowledged as a significant contributor to violence against women and girls, which must be addressed with …
Read More »Dear editor: ‘As a mother, I’m paralysed with fear; as a woman, I’m filled with tremendous anxiety’
“[…] As a woman, I am filled with tremendous anxiety. I am fiercely independent, but I feel that independence disappearing—as I constantly have to adjust my movements to try and ensure my safety…” The following Letter to the Editor was submitted to Wired868 by an anonymous contributor, under the pen …
Read More »TTPS: Body of 23-year-old kidnap victim, Andrea Bharatt, found
The following press statement on kidnap victim Andrea Bharatt was released by the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS): The search for kidnapped victim, Andrea Bharatt, ended this afternoon after her body was found down a precipice along the Heights of Aripo. According to reports, around 12.20pm today, a motorist …
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