Indiscipline now a way of life

THE EDITOR: There has been and still is much ado about the state of crime in the country and almost all citizens are laying the blame squarely on the shoulders of the Government in power. Efforts to reduce crime on the part of the citizenry range from marching on the streets, church services, closing of business premises for specified periods, introduction of crime stoppers hot line, posting of rewards etc. But these methods do not seem to have brought the reduction we had hoped for, so crime continues unabated. Indiscipline has become a way of life in this country starting from throwing garbage on the street, jay walking, taxi drivers especially parking in such a way that they block entrances to streets, vagrants on Frederick Street obstructing the free passageway of the streets, squatting, murder and kidnapping, not to mention school children with guns and knives in their schoolbags.

These offences have become everyday occurrences to the extent that they have dulled our sensitivities and we accept them as a way of life in our communities. Trinidad is a place where beggars abound and the lunatic asylum is crowded with young people whose brains are addled with drugs. Not a pretty picture but this is the reality of the situation. All of us are contributors to this sorry state of affairs starting in the home where children are left on their own for lengthy periods unattended each day. We are having more children than we can afford. We do not have the time to do things with our children. We do not have time to speak to them, hear their concerns, give them our views and give them love. We fail to correct them when they throw garbage everywhere. We, as parents go to schools and remonstrate, if not fight, teachers who correct our children. The school system appears to be afraid to expel children for bad behaviour, and indeed, children who traffic in drugs or carry weapons to school.

We are sparing the rod and spoiling children. TTUTA seems impotent. The police, our protectors, are not without blame. Every so often we read of policemen being put before the Court for various infractions of the law. There are many who go abroad for medical treatment, work there for many years, while still members of the service. It is a valid complaint that the service is short of officers to properly give security to the country. These many malingerers cannot be fired and yet the Second Division Association has not done anything about this. Whenever one calls a station for help, it is frequent to get a reply that they have no transport, yet on mornings and evenings, one can see police cars transporting women and children to work and school. Shouldn’t the Association be concerned about this?

Ever tried to report indiscipline on the part of a policeman to the Police Complaints Authority? You go to a police station, you ask for a form, only to be told that they don’t have. You are directed to the Complaints Authority at the corner of Abercromby and Park Streets, where there is no parking, and where you are given a form which you fill out. Several weeks after, you are called by phone by the police, who tell you that they are inquiring into your complaint and that you must come to them. You go to the appointed place at the appointed time and you are put to wait or you may be told that the inquiry officer is on other duties, so you get fed up and leave and the frustration continues. I read that the Maracas Bay station fell apart yesterday. Why is it necessary for a building to fall apart before the Government does something? This is not good for the morale of our crime fighters. We read much about the lack of funds in the police to buy equipment, pay informers etc, yet on the stroke of the pen, our Prime Minister finds money to send Lara to South Africa.

A question arises here and that is, did Mr Mandela request seeing Lara before the former actually arrived there? Why doesn’t Mr Mandela send his private jet for him? Both men are great in their own fields, I am the first to recognise this, but we should not spend taxpayers’ money in this way, when so many are hungry and without homes. Why doesn’t the police have a marine presence? A check will reveal that since the police boats were taken away, there is more smuggling off the North West peninsula.

JEREMIAH GALSTON
St Ann’s

PS Now UNC marching against crime. To what end? They should put their weight behind the Government’s efforts.