Acting PM: Not now

Saying that he had only been in the post for three weeks, National Security Minister Martin Joseph asked for time yesterday, promising that he would deliver. “I do not intend to let the Government down. I do not intend to let the population down,” he stressed, as he addressed a post-Cabinet news conference at Whitehall yesterday.

Joseph also wanted the population to know that he was part of a Government that was extremely concerned about the escalation of crime and criminal activities. But he added “We are kind of in a blind spot (right now)...where the measures we are putting in place have not yet taken their bite.” Acknowledging that the population had grown tired of hearing about crime plans, Joseph said “something” was being put in place. Government could not act “recklessly” or  “allow desperation to inform our decisions.” Joseph said, contrary to what he had heard on the radio, he was not “in hiding.” But, he stressed, at the same time he did not plan to be providing the media and population with a ball by ball account of all actions and measures Government would be taking, “because all you would be doing is...telegraphing and telling the few persons who are terrorising the country ‘this is the action (we are going to take), you can expect us to do this.’ And when we do it, it loses its effect.” He said it was not reasonable to expect that because he was appointed National Security Minister, the challenges would disappear “overnight.” 

Saying that he personally had no crime-fighting capability, Joseph stated nevertheless that he understood what was necessary, and he intended to make sure that all persons who had anything to do with reducing the level of criminal activities and lawlessness in the society, understood that they were accountable for the results “that we expect to achieve.” Joseph who consistently avoided “being set up” (by the media) into making comparisons between himself and his predecessor Chin Lee, said he believed the country “can and will win this battle” (against crime). The Minister said his strategy was to find “immediate remedies” to the crime situation while developing the long-term solutions. In this regard, he announced that the first batch of the 1,000 additional SRPs currently in training would pass out on December 15. These 200 plus officers would form part of the joint army/police patrols which would be put in the major population centres — San Fernando, Princes Town, Port-of-Spain, Arima, Sangre Grande, San Juan and Tunapuna. The second batch of officers would be available from January 2. The Minister said the Ministry was currently moving to ensure that the divisional managers within the Police Service are responsible and accountable for the crime in their area. To this end, the Ministry was “disaggregating” the crime statistics, making sure that they (divisional managers) are aware of them.

Joseph also lamented that the Police Reform Bills were stymied because of the lack of Opposition support. “We still have to find ways and means of getting around those impediments..and we have to do it in a particular way because the next thing you don’t want to hear is police brutality,” he said. He added that the same people who were crying out for strong and quick action from the Government,  would be the same people who would be accusing the Government of violating people’s human rights, if it took drastic action. Joseph also stated that the decision-making process within the Ministry of National Security had to be speeded up and the criminal intelligence system needed to be enhanced. “Preventive actions require intelligence,” he said, when asked why Government couldn’t declare a State of Emergency and let the Police go and seize all the illegal guns in the country.

Acting Prime Minister Joan Yuille-Williams said Government did not feel that the crime situation, bad as it was, had reached the stage where the declaration of a State of Emergency was required. That would be a last option, she said.