“To those law abiding citizens who have been skeptical of this decision made, it is my intention to win over your trust and support in the very near future. “To those within the Service who may also share concerns, I assure you, I am well aware that I can never …
Read More »Demming: Death of a “Baby Bandit”; Ector’s sobriquet says much about our failed war on crime
How could it be a “Baby Bandit?” My attention was attracted to the sobriquet “Baby Bandit” in reference to a slain youth-man—David Ector—who turned out to be known to the Police and the community. Both groups knew this person to be euphemistically “walking on thin ice”—allegedly involved in criminal activity. …
Read More »Dear Editor: Cockroaches, gun talk, and mamaguy; Griffith as Police Commissioner would be a travesty
“[…] Gary Griffith is not unknown to us. What is unknown, is the justification for this claim that he is a ‘change agent’. How has Mr Griffith’s presence in public life enhanced life in the Republic? “For those who argue that Mr Griffith has the passion and the drive to …
Read More »Dear Editor: Racist, dehumanising language and militarised approach to crime will make things worse
“There’s no serious analysis of the observation—that even the Acting Commissioner of Police once made—that ‘crime’ is as much a social issue as it is a law-enforcement/security issue. “No, it’s easier to use words like ‘pest’ and ‘cockroaches’, strip the criminalised elements of their humanity—which they themselves often do as …
Read More »Daly Bread: Galleons and ganja; why decriminalising marijuana should be on national agenda
The maintenance of an efficient sea bridge between Trinidad and Tobago is a very serious matter. The recent failures of the sea bridge greatly damaged the economy of Tobago and the credibility of the current Government. Undoubtedly however, the procurement and much delayed arrival of the Galleons Passage has become …
Read More »Salaam: The govt must “unleash” the Defence Force to curb crime
The more I want to be optimistic about my Trinidad and Tobago’s current situation and our chances and ability to climb out of the decadent cesspool we currently find ourselves, the more I’m convince that my positive outlook is overshadowed by the reality of our state of affairs. Many—including the …
Read More »Dear Editor: Enough! Time for Arima to walk the talk and stop criminals in their tracks
“The anti-violence walk has now been transformed into the more positive ‘Arima Walk for Peace’ and the timeliness of the call to Arima people to join with us—this hits a raw nerve—will be seen tomorrow when we expect to actively involve many hundreds of ordinary, decent, hard-working people in a …
Read More »Dear Editor: Anti-Gang Bill no panacea for crime; change of culture of Police Service needed
“The Anti-Gang Bill, sunset clause or not, suffers from the same ills as every other piece of legislation in Trinidad and Tobago: to be effective, it must be enforced! For enforcement to take place, the Police Service needs to do a better job, a much, much better job. To ascertain …
Read More »NOT CONDEMNING: The PNM and UNC have failed on crime and sexual harassment; but we are also culpable
If ever there was an under-performing country, it is Trinidad and Tobago. We have under-performed in every area of development and the PNM and the UNC are equally responsible. Both parties have demonstrated an astounding reluctance to collaborate. Even on the occasion of the achievement of Independence, so great was …
Read More »Daly Bread: Musicians on the Titanic; looking at Trinbagonian response to our crises
In 1912, the Titanic began its maiden voyage across the Atlantic from England to New York. The ship was thought to be unsinkable—as though God was not only a Trini but was also the Titanic’s owner. Four days into its voyage, the Titanic hit an iceberg and sank with loss …
Read More »Daly Bread: More predictions of storm; will National Security finally include culture in crime plan?
I have to return to the prevailing conditions of instability which are obvious to me but now as a post-script to my tribute to Roland Quesnel, my revered teacher, a contemporary of mine, Randolph Peters, wrote that, like me, the person who most impacted his intellectual development was Quesnel. He …
Read More »Murder at MovieTowne: Why two T&T Prime Ministers got their responses very wrong
The recent murder in MovieTowne is the second to take place at that location. It has had several reverberations, which are as great as those that accompanied the first one, fourteen years ago. On both occasions our Prime Ministers made insensitive remarks in the aftermath of the murder. On the …
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