Al-Rawi assures GOVT IN CONTROL
By Shane Superville and Ryan Hamilton-Davis
December 05, 2017 – newsday.co.tt
Amid an unprecedented crime wave which has seen 16 murders committed within the first four days of December, came an assurance yesterday by Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi that government is in control of the situation.
Commenting on the 16 murders, which has brought the year’s toll to 461 as compared to 430 for the same period last year, Al-Rawi said he is concerned not only by murders but all crimes.
He said government has implemented various initiatives including legislation aimed at reducing violent crimes.
The number of illegal guns seized, is evidence of these initiatives, he said. The AG claimed gun seizures have increased during the current People’s National Movement (PNM) administration.
“If you look at the number of firearms seized across all nine divisions, we found 761 in 2016, you will note 691 seized in 2015.
Full Article : newsday.co.tt
More:
16 killed in four days; toll now 460: Cops disturbed
With 16 people being killed in the last four days of this new and last month of 2017, senior police officers are now looking to push different strategies to “up their game.”
The government in “Control” God help us if the government was not in control. There would be blood flowing the streets. Also the police are “concerned” What a revealation. Police should not be concerned they should be doing the job of pursuing the criminals and getting them prosecuted. What about the judiciary? Are they concerned? Concern is a “cop-out”. No word from the Commissioner of Police, the CJ, members of the legal profession (more fees etc)and civil society. It seems as business as usaual. Well, this is Trinidad.
What about the people in Tobago sending US$8 mil to the “wrong”. This is the second time this has happened. What going on in Tobago. They cannot control the money Trinidad citizens send to them.
Relevant comments Observer. This attachment may also lend some support as who may be part of the problem. http://caribbeannewsnow.com/headline-Crippling-murder-rate-continues-in-Trinidad-in-2017-33219.html
What I also found interesting here is the disparity in the collection of data.
We continue to be amazed by crime and the escalating numbers of its occurrence, with hideous results. We should all be concerned by what the numbers are telling us and how our thinking should be shaped by each incident. The most insidious are the crimes committed against women and innocent children. Too often the perpetrators of these heinous crimes are men whose emotions are overtaken by jealousy, hate, vindictiveness and ignorance. Next is the rampant gang wars where the victims are just as cruel as their pursuers. Often in these gangs, members are used by many ‘upright’ citizens to settle scores with their enemies. These enemies are sometimes people we look up to with high regards, such as Dana Seetahal and Vindra Naipaul. We also have wanton killings that are the results of senseless emotional passions. To a lesser degree but very common in our political culture, there are crimes engineered against other people, political enemies or crimes against the establishment, to settle political scores or to ignite enmity against an opposing political group. Too bad the media, just tell us about the crime count and no too much detail about the pervasiveness that continue to go on without telling us the reasons for the brutalities.
The truth about crime is that the system have failed us. The institutions that are in place to safeguard our rights and to protect us from the carnage, that often go along with severity of purpose, have ceased to function as designed by our laws. Most of these institutions are in ruins. The Police Service, the Judiciary, the Prisons, the law Associations and probably the most corrupt of all is the political entities, that continue to corrupt every aspect of civil society. Many in our parliamentary system are devious and seek power at any cost. They will go to any length to get closer to our treasured vaults. They would stop at nothing, be it sabotage, murder, espionage, conspiracy, schemes, connivance or mere fraud, our politics is very dangerous in its under belly.
Too often we see offices that make up the framework of our fragile democracy, delve into behavior undeserving of its stature. In that respect, we end up questioning the character of people who hold office the President, Prime Minister, Ministers of Government, Parliamentarians, Commissioner of Police, the Law fraternity, religious heads, office of the Chief Justice etc etc. Many times we wonder about those who hold these positions of authority and wonder, do they have the right character to be of service to us? Too many of them have fallen prey to behavior unfit for the respect they seek and that is annoying. We need people who operate with character, dignity and moral authority to serve in those respectable positions. We want to be proud of those we hold in high esteem but they must in turn be of character that we hold dear to our expectations.
While we continue to complain about the ubiquitous state of crime, we pay no attention to those who empower the criminals. Our country is becoming shelter to prostitutes from other countries. We encourage illegal immigration from friends and foes alike. The guns and ammunition is found aplenty in our neighborhoods. If these weapons are so expensive, how come so many end up in the hands of poor people? Seventy six percent of the crime committed are with illegal weapons, why? Where are our control mechanisms?
We need to take a holistic view and examination of crime. There need to be cleaning not only of the crime but also the opportunities that are the objects of the criminal mindset. We can start by becoming or asking those in positions of authority and control to become accountable. We can ask those who preach to us to be morally respected and accountable. We can ask those who seek our vote to be upright, respectable and accountable too.
We can ask those who seek to represent us to uphold the standards of the office they seek.
Al-Wari is an ambitious mouthpiece whose primary purpose is to discredit former government ministers. He is so focused on political games and witch-hunts that he has abandoned his objective role as AG and crime fighter in chief.
He needs a tutorial from Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj on the role and responsibilities of an attorney general. John Jeremie could also assist him.
There is no doubt that Al-Wari has designs on Rowley’s job.
As the talk of crime continues to make headlines, it would do us all some good to look at not just the actual act of committing a crime, but also the events that contribute towards a climate that allow criminals easier access to guns. What this means is that crime cannot be approached from the point of the incident. Who know how many of these individuals exist in Trinidad and Tobago? If 200 exist, then multiply that number of guns and ammunitions held by this individual by 200. The result can be frightening in terms of the number of available weapons on the streets that sell for blackmarket prices. Nevermind what these weapons are ultimately used for, crime becomes an ultimate goal.
http://newsday.co.tt/2017/12/21/12-guns-2164-rounds-of-ammunition-found-in-bedroom/