STREET VIBE: Ag CoP, TTPS put hands in the air for Carnival; Lord, put a hand!


“… In the fight against a few semi-literate street criminals, the police have thrown their hands in the air as acknowledged by the Ag CoP… One wonders if the season has anything to do with his hands going up in the air.

“But as we celebrate next week’s festivities, I guarantee that the post-mortem from the TTPS will be the usual PR joke: “2017, safest Carnival ever.”

 The following Letter to the Editor reacting to the Ag. CoP’s call for divine intervention to reduce crime was submitted to Wired868 by Rudy Chato Paul, Jr, of D’Abadie:

Photo: Acting Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams. (Copyright 103FM)
Photo: Acting Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams.
(Copyright 103FM)

Reluctantly I picked up the newspaper, knowing full well what to expect. It is sad but I have long realized that I, like the rest of my household, dare I say the rest of the nation, have been affected by stories of crime after crime after crime. This is strange coming from a street soldier but I recognize it as my new reality.


So when I read the Acting Commissioner of Police (CoP) publicly acknowledging that citizens are angry and that we need “divine intervention,” it would be an understatement to say I was shocked.

Are we to accept that after billions of our tax dollars have been spent on crime plan after crime plan, either through the import of foreigners as advisors, (Mafstroski, Creed, Giuliani et al) or through the purchase of blimps; 360˚ radars; helicopters; high-tech weapons; new vehicles every two weeks; new, air-conditioned stations; a couple of speed guns; new uniforms; talk-shops aka crime seminars; etc., the CoP now recognizes that citizens are “angry” and is therefore calling for divine intervention?

Had this not been such a serious matter, it would have made good comedy material. Is Mr Williams really serious?

One cannot help but wonder if these are the grounds on which this gentleman has, like Pinocchio, been given extension after extension. He clearly has many blessings to count.

Photo: Not all the mad people are in institutions. Of all the people walking around on the streets, half mad!
Photo: Not all the insane people are in institutions; of all the people walking around on the streets, half mad!

Being in the half of the population which David Rudder described as ‘mad,’ I couldn’t continue reading. The more I considered the CoP’s statement, the more it bothered me.  I admit that being agnostic did not help my analysis.

But my personal lifestyle aside, when the head of the TTPS publicly calls for ‘divine intervention’ and a day of prayer, what message is being sent to the 8000 men and women under his command? What message is being sent to the citizens of this land, whose tax dollars have been funding his organization’s spending spree on high-tech gadgets without a shred of evidence of value for money?

Is he blaming citizens’ anger for his incompetence, like someone else blamed women for being raped?

So the new reality is that, in the fight against a few semi-literate street criminals, the police have thrown their hands in the air as acknowledged by the Ag CoP when he said that, despite his officers being pushed more, they are simply “not bringing the results we want.”

One wonders if the season has anything to do with his hands going up in the air.  I find this amazing for a number of reasons. But as we celebrate next week’s festivities, I guarantee that the post-mortem from the TTPS will be the usual PR joke: “2017, safest Carnival ever.”

The same thing was said last year, despite their having made no progress in solving the murder of the young Japanese pannist, Asami Nagakiya. But a day of prayers being their latest crime plan, maybe there is hope that an angel will come down and reveal her murderer.

Photo: Late Japanese pannist Asami Nagakiya. Too late for detection by the police? (Courtesy I95.5FM)
Photo: Late Japanese pannist Asami Nagakiya. Too late for detection by the police?
(Courtesy I95.5FM)

My guess is that in a multi-religious society, divine intervention will have to be undertaken by the Inter-Religious Organization, if only to appear unbiased as far as the major religious bodies are concerned.  After all, one cannot just acknowledge a Christian God, while ignoring the others.

This leaves the question as to which one will intervene to save this angry nation?  And if none does, does it mean they were all offended?

I humbly suggest that the CoP’s policy be applied to the other failed and failing institutions in our society, for example, education, health and family, and the economy.  I am among those able to recognise that the Minister of Finance would welcome a day of prayer if only as a distraction from his psuedo-professional incompetence.

And since condoms in school, as per our brilliant Minister of Education, would only encourage sex, then let’s just pray that our schoolchildren learn to behave themselves and stop engaging in sex in the classrooms.

The Minister of Health would also welcome a national prayer for patients who are forced to convert into beds, like water into wine, the floors of the different hospitals they visit.

Photo: Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh was not floored by his first-hand experience of his hospitals. (Copyright Elections.TT)
Photo: Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh was not floored by his first-hand experience of his hospitals.
(Copyright Elections.TT)

As an agnostic, I’m not a praying person. If I were, I would pray to all the gods in the history of mankind that Ag CoP Williams be given his marching orders as of yesterday… If not sooner.

At least one should hear.

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About Rudy Chato Paul Sr

Rudy Chato Paul, Sr, is passionate about gardening, music and writing and boasts post-graduate certification in Anthropology, Criminology and Sociology. He also studied Theology, which is why he is actively seeking to make Trinidad a better place rather than waiting for divine intervention. 

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48 comments

  1. Don’t understand why people knocking the CoP. Everyone knows that the low crime rates in Japan, Singapore and Scandinavian countries and the like are as a result of prayer and fasting.

    Similarly, we all know that educating the public on proper diet causes people to eat more. So the MoH is also correct on the condom issue.

  2. Choose your kidnappers and rapists wisely. The PM cannot be in your bedroom (though he may wish to be – in order to protect you – only), and he cannot be in your taxis.

    Meanwhile…..in Enterprise

    Caller: Hello 999? I need to report a robbery!

    Police Command Centre: A robbery? We’ll say three Hail Marys for you, if it’s robbery with violence then that is four Hail Marys.

    Caller: But ah need the police!

    PCC: Yes Sir, we have dispatched 4 Officers to do Namaz for you. They’ll be backed-up by the Police Helicopter which will be spraying holy water on all the Tidas within your vicinity. We hope that your trust and confidence has been restored.

  3. why is it that so many people evade/ellude arrest while being chased by the Police? Latest one being a holder of a sub machine gun in Longdenville. Perhaps if they catch them, they may be able to solve more crimes…..just guessing.

  4. Could Ag. CoP Mr. Williams advertise for Extenz, considering his many extensions?

  5. This is the leadership to fight crime at present? Ok people .. carry on like normal and the police prayers will end the crimes in a couple of days .. what BS is this? .. and he’s still there!!!

  6. So just like the phrase “pray tha gay away”!
    What we supposed to “lament the torment that is crime to God at this time!!?????

  7. I listened to the COP responding to this and it was a totally different perspective on than what the media published. But therein is another problem. Sound bites have become news in an environment where people are defused and refuse to inquire.
    That is why psychopaths like Trump can use a red herring like “fake news” and get traction.

  8. Y there police bandits don’t come out an work all year

  9. Yea I agree, but he is incapable

  10. It seems to me like you were being very critical of Mr Williams.
    But we all need to do out part as law abiding citizens.

  11. As I read somewhere, WE LISTEN TO RESPONSE, BUT NOT TO UNDERSTAND
    And with most of the responses I’m reading y’all need to shut the hell up.
    Have none of you been faced with a challenge in life and everything you try ain’t working, then someone tells you to try prayer?

  12. No bro is like he in an out sleep he now looking for dat???

  13. So he’s dotish cause he is calling for divine intervention. Good one partner good one

  14. ”Khaki Jesus”,,The Lord Jesus in an inspector of assistant commissioner’s uniform..Crime plan…Courtesy Lord Nelson’s tailor..just show where the fellah pass and I will make a suit..P.s..Will Jesus have to shave?

  15. Kill all big and small fish 75% of the problem solved

  16. The man never said that the ttps would stop work, but asked for all to seek their supreme being so that instead of turning to violence they could seek other ways to settle conflict.

  17. This is the kind of Jackass reasoning that have us in this country the way we we are. Ppl who have no solutions but quick to criticize anything ppl say all because of our bias political motives n our hatred . Country in trouble n we have to keep trying different things until something works. At least Give it a try. But using media sound bites without getting the context just trying to sound intelligent will not help us neither. Why do we continue to attack the wrong ppl? Im longing for the day when some level headed ppl could gives us some solutions . Government come government go we r in the same place all because we won’t unite against the criminal elements. Only criticisms n blame games we get. Stueps!!

  18. People who complain about Top cop comment . DON’T understand the power of pray . To understand what this nation is going through you have to understand the word of God and I support his statment.

  19. This will have a good ending. Put your faith in God and no weapon formed against you will prevail. Come on people lets support the police service.. I pray for every single officer that they may be safe and uphold the rule of law. Amen

  20. We all need to live by de BIBLE”s word

  21. It is true cuz if people have de LORD IN THEIR HEARTS? they’ll never commit thoes kinds of murders

  22. Trinbago national security ministry reminds me of Toyota F1 and Honda F1
    Most amount ah financial investment with the least returns. He following the lead of d President.
    Them is really public servants.

  23. Only semantics differ in what CoP said and PM “We are a violent society..

  24. We at war with criminals.Only the criminals know it’s a war and they are winning.

  25. So we don’t need effective policing. We just pray…. uh-huh. Let’s see how that works. ?????

  26. What an absolute idiot, why is he still employed

  27. Everyone has their part to play don’t take out your phone to tape when a man is getting stabbed or a situation is escalating rather take it out call the Command Centre 999 give a description of the suspects and the direction they ran off or the vehicle they drove off in…Don’t say that is not my business because you contributing to the problem…This post giving the impression like you want the TTPS to fail

  28. So if they leaving it to God then they don’t need to get paid then. Steups

  29. Even if you in disagreement with the COP don’t paint the TTPS with a broad brush as there are hard working officers on the ground who will be working extremely long hours to ensure citizens are safe in this period…COP hands might be in the air but not the officers on the ground…Ps Hands in the air has certain esoteric meanings behind it ground forces are not in distress don’t worry

    • I agree with you and I feel if we want to be poignant then let’s discuss real solutions to crime . I’m still not hearing any. Aa a nation we are stuck opposers not problem solvers.

    • Quite frankly not everything the COP says will reflect the sentiments of the constable on the ground who has been bypassed for promotion or who has to write a 30 page statement into a homicide inquiry or who defended his life by neutralizing a suspect and faces calls by the PCA or under investigation by PSB for defending your life and guess what still presses on and discharge his duties without fear or favour…Things the public will not hear about in a press conference because the powers that be choose to be politically correct.

    • What crime? There is no crime. All is well in sweet T&T so put your hands in the air and wine …

  30. I heard the statement and saw no bi issue with it! But we had a prime minister who use a seer woman to call an election and lose it. We swear I’m the Bible when we about to give witness , we swear in useless ministers and senators on the various Gios books. I heard his comment and it didn’t Ron me wrong.

  31. This man has to be mad ! I have been saying all along…..they smoking something that makes them hallucinate

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