US deportees factor in crime

THE INFLUX of American deportees into Trinidad and Tobago since 2001 has been one of the factors attributed to the increase in the levels of crime in the country over the last two years. This was one of the findings in the latest Overseas Security Report for TT.

According to the report: “In 2001, the national murder rate nearly doubled when compared to the previous  with 150 reported cases. Twenty-three (23) persons were murdered in the first two months of 2002. Authorities attribute the majority of cases to a rise in drugs and arms trafficking which has led to increased fighting among the country’s street gangs involved in the illegal trade. A large number of local gang members are deportees from the United States accused of violent crimes. For the past few years, the US Government has been deporting an average of 100 Trinidad nationals back to the islands. Domestic violence is the second greatest cause for homicides on the islands. All of these factors have led to an increase in the number of street crimes, armed robberies and murders on the islands.” However the report stressed that despite the increase in crime, “travellers can safely visit the islands so long as basic personal security measures are followed.”

Speaking in the Senate on Tuesday, Social Development Minister Mustapha Abdul Hamid said approximately 236 US deportees enter TT annually and these persons pose a threat to the nation’s security. Legal Affairs Minister Camille Robinson-Regis slammed the former UNC government for agreeing to accept the deportees and not putting any system in place to ensure that they were properly monitored and prevent them from engaging in criminal activities. Robinson-Regis said Government was looking at a system where persons’ fingerprints would be included as part of their new identification cards and this could help to track criminal deportees.