“[…] Individuals in authority cannot stand before the population and openly claim criminals have weapons of war, the relevant agencies have the information, a SOE was required to disable the threat; and then say the weapon was never found, with no follow up to the population. “How can we the …
Read More »Dear Editor: Even police officers at risk with stand your ground—it’s a recipe for disaster
“[…] During public consultations, Minister Wayne Sturge went so far as to suggest that citizens might be justified in shooting police officers entering their homes, since it’s hard to determine if they are actual police or bandits… “[…] Imagine being a police officer, doing your job, and wondering if someone …
Read More »Noble: Is Gov’t handling of SoE trivialising T&T’s crime reality?
Over the last ten days, I missed BC Pires. He would understand how to explain what has been going on in my beloved country. Vidia Naipaul is also not here, so he cannot update his famed The Mimic Men. Here is one of his quotes from that novel: “[…] We, …
Read More »Dear Editor: Is SoE lazy response to solvable National Security issues?
“[…] Perhaps everyone, with the exception of members of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS), recognises that declaring a SOE is a clear indication that the respective state apparatuses falling under the umbrella of national security are acknowledging their collective failure to protect citizens. “[…] Apparently a handful of …
Read More »Dear Editor: TTPS shouldn’t be unchecked militia; investigate police “brutality” in Belmont
“[…] The officers (in the Belmont incident) wore no uniforms, bore no visible badges, and allegedly seem to give no verbal identification, yet exercised full policing powers. That borders on impersonation. “TTPS operational guidelines require that plainclothes officers identify themselves clearly when engaging civilians, especially during arrests or searches. Their …
Read More »Dear Editor: Club Eting’s shooting highlights dangers of TTPS officers taking guns home
“[…] In other countries where off-duty firearm carry is allowed, it is done with strict safeguards: ongoing psychological assessments, secure storage requirements, detailed protocols for off-duty use, and clear disciplinary procedures for breaches. “Commissioner Allister Guevarro has not yet made clear whether such safeguards will be implemented in our local …
Read More »Dear Editor: Gary Griffith got it all wrong once again on licensed firearms
“[…] Clearly, a licensed firearm issued during the period that Mr Gary Griffith was CoP was used to commit the crime of murder, by an individual (Mr Mohammed) who was also granted four additional FULs. “[…] Why allow one individual to possess five (legal) firearms? How many can he use at any one …
Read More »Daly Bread: Accountability gymnastics from National Security and TTGF
Murder, murder everywhere but certain elites continued blindly to cling to the status quo and sections of the business community uttered platitudes. Then, as the murder count soared past 500 with a multiplicity of murders, the Government finally “did” something. That something was a whole day meeting with the heads …
Read More »Daly Bread: Pennywise manifestations; OSHA should consider safety of security guards
On Monday last there was another terrifying incident of gun killings in which high powered firearms were used. This took place around 5pm, in the vicinity of the Pennywise Plaza, La Romaine, in the course of an armed robbery of cash in transit. This Pennywise incident contains many manifestations of …
Read More »Daly Bread: Talking scrap; PM and CoP’s discouraging of liming shows govt’s anti-crime failure
As propounded last week and applying the words of the late Oxford legal philosopher, HLA Hart, whom I have frequently quoted, Trinidad and Tobago is now firmly in a situation in which “the laws of the land have legal validity but cease to be effective, leading to a breakdown in …
Read More »Daly Bread: And so it has come to pass; T&T suffering from breakdown in legal control
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 »Dear Editor: The TTPS’ return to grey and blue uniforms is a move in the right direction
“[…] Over the last 10 years or so, junior police officers—some of whom may be still on probation—can be often seen wearing a blue operational jacket and black pants while on duty. “[…] In my view, this drop in the standard of dress—which has been allowed for years even before …
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