Murder, bad driving part of the culture

THE EDITOR: A murder rate of over two hundred is enough to raise an alarm about, especially in a country as small as ours. But whom do we blame really, the government, the police or the people? Crime is one of the easiest things to politicise and it has become so, now more than ever under the UNC as crime was the topic on which they campaigned for the ‘95 election. Eventually, they succeeded in convincing the electorate that they had the answer. It’s a fact that during their tenure the murder rate was never as high as that period, 2001 recorded the highest figure (150 or so) until the last two years. There were also two national security ministers, including the then Prime Minister, Basdeo Panday who literally surrendered to the criminals by admitting he couldn’t do anything about crime.

He is once again in opposition and is attempting a different strategy, by refusing to support the crucial Police Reform Bill — which they drafted while in government — unless there is constitutional reform. The “yes men” and women who support and surround him are three times as foolish, with their lack of independent thinking, but can make a difference if they vote consciously and conscientiously. It’s an opportunity for Yetming and Dookeran to show their disagreement with their leader’s strategy, as they claimed. The murder rate last year was at it’s highest (172), the emotions and outcries of citizens were understandably loud and prolonged. But why isn’t there the same reaction to the number of people being killed on the nation’s roads? So far the number is 186 and the year hasn’t yet ended. Ironically, this figure is higher than the number of people murdered last year. Is this year’s road deaths a record? How many of us realise that the road deaths are not very far behind the murder rate? Maybe when the politicians find a way to politicise it, we’ll start taking notice.

It is really sad and unfortunate that Basdeo Panday and his ministers are linking the crime situation with race (more so kidnappings). Their claims that mostly Indians are the victims may be true, but who are they insinuating are the culprits? They say it’s the PNM, but who do they really mean... black people? The fact is, most of the kidnappings are unsolved, so there is hardly any way of knowing who the culprits are. Interestingly, out of five guys held recently for the kidnapping of an Indo-Trini, three of them were of that race. There are more Indians killed on the roads than are murdered. Do we blame the PNM for this? Hopefully, these facts will caution politicians about what they say to their gullible followers. Now we hear about the leader of a prominent group seeking political asylum from the Governments of the UK, US and Canada, as the “Indians are being targeted for crimes.” Maybe the phrase “political asylum” is much more convincing than “refugee status,” which was totally rejected by the Canadian government back in 1987, which incidentally led to us needing a visa to go there.

The government is the one who has to face the fire about the crime situation in the country, particularly kidnappings and murders. The comments from the opposition, independent senators, editorials, columnists, talk show hosts, man on the street, Chamber heads and the upper class (who mostly comment when it hits home or close) are testimony to this. They believe the government must and should do something, anything to alleviate the rampage in our country. I agree, but none of them can say what to do to prevent the next murder or kidnapping from taking place, even if they combine their “brilliant minds.” How can you prevent more road deaths, burglary, robbery and shoplifting? Simple, increase the highway patrols (in a serious way) and security on the streets, business places, homes and property. Every businessman must know that surveillance cameras should be mandatory in their places of business; they don’t need the government to tell or do that for them. Check out the businesses in the US, they are all equipped with cameras.

How can you prevent kidnappings and murders? Simple (in thought and fantasy though) — put a policeman to escort every citizen. Impossible reality. There is hardly anything this or any government can do to, other than wave the magic wand to actually prevent this. So blaming the government or police is just about people venting their emotions about a reality, which is a new experience for them, so therefore someone has to take the blame.
Do people honestly believe the government does not care about the crime situation? It wasn’t even this bad when Panday surrendered, despite their gloating about the number of cars they bought and stations built. This is what created the naivety in the people who believe that the Panday regime did more to fight crime. It is time Trinidadians face reality that what is happening in their beloved island is a culture that they are responsible for and it’s up to them to change it, nobody else. How is it the people of Tobago and the other islands, excluding Jamaica, hardly settle a petty dispute with a gun, cutlass or knife as their Trinidad brothers do?  Or shoot and kill people at will like it’s nobody’s business (all because the gun gives them a sense of power), or go into a man’s home (or woman’s) shoot, chop or stab, just to take possession of what is not theirs? How?

Most of the road accidents are a result of stupid, ignorant and impatient drivers who don’t even care about their own lives let alone the innocent people around them.  The power is within the people to turn this around, every man, woman and child. It is my belief, that advanced training in policing and investigative skills and technique, introduction of DNA testing, highly sophisticated and superior forensic technology and expertise, along with the new Police Reform Bill, could be critical to the solving and preventing of various crimes and diminishing the number of the unsolved. If most crimes are solved easily and quickly, it can possibly act as a deterrent to the murderer, kidnapper or bandit, because none of them like being caught. But then again there’s still the opposition to contend with.

GARVIN WALTERS
Tobago