Police should intensify undercover work

THE EDITOR: As I read your paper day after day I can only come to one conclusion that there is an escalation of crime in TT. Like many people living abroad the question that surfaces more frequently, is the current police force capable of doing anything to curtail the progression of crimes?  As a matter of fact, what have they done so far to protect the lives of its citizens in Laventille? Perhaps we don’t have all the facts or all the answers but we are convinced that TT is one of the most dangerous locations, in the Caribbean.

This perception is made possible because the news media reports the activities of the country as accurate as possible. In most cases we notice the shootings, kidnappings and rapes on the front page regularly. I am not condemning the press but without the press we sure would have been caught up by surprise. In the US and particularly in New York the tactical approach is very different when dealing with criminals and the drug trade. It is called “buy and bust.” The police in their quest to arrest criminals don’t ever disclose the date and time of their operation. It is considered covert and mostly informants and undercover officers perform different locations. The idea was to catch the criminals with the illegal guns and drugs so that possession will be demonstrated in court. But when the news is sent out prematurely the essence of the operation is compromised and completely defeats the intent. No one wants to arrest any suspects without possession of a firearm or drugs. This class of tactical approach seems to indicate that police are incapable of carrying out undercover work because they lack co-ordination, intelligence and undercover experience.

The police have only caused a little intimidation but this certainly doesn’t really create major concerns. The gangs on the hill will temporarily relocate and reaffirm their activities. I don’t seem to comprehend the intelligence of the police commissioner when it calls for “modus operandi.” It appears that the police are not aware of some terrorist groups extorting money from the poor folks by committing murder and mayhem while they are acting in concert with the drug gangs of Laventille. It is now evident that perhaps the police department has inherited a touch of corruption. This is because they may be benefiting from the lucrative drug and kidnapping deals that are being carried out daily. Anything is possible where underpaid and overworked police officers are engaged in tedious tasks.

JAY  G  RAKHAR
New York