Aboud: Crooks could control Port-of-Spain

DOWNTOWN Owners and Merchants Association (DOMA) president, Gregory Aboud, yesterday warned that Port-of-Spain could be lost to the criminals if the authorities lose the battle for control of Charlotte Street. Speaking with reporters following a DOMA breakfast meeting at the Crowne Plaza, Aboud said: “The battle for Charlotte Street has become the battle for Port-of-Spain. If we lose the battle for Charlotte Street, we are worried that we will lose Port-of-Spain as well.” However, the DOMA president was somewhat heartened by assurances from Police Commissioner Trevor Paul about the deployment of a mobile police unit and additional officers to Charlotte Street.

Aboud said he believed “that if they (police efforts) are sustained, that Charlotte Street can be saved and hope will be given to the city of Port-of-Spain.” He added that some improvement is being seen in Charlotte Street, but it was still too early to declare the area to be safe. Aboud lamented that Trinidad and Tobago’s politicians have failed to heed warnings about playing politics with crime. He said Government and the Opposition continue to use crime as a political football to blame one another, and the population ends up the losers at the end of the day. “The citizens are the ones who are suffering when crime is not tackled as a national issue. It is very, very unfortunate that almost no issue whatsoever galvanises us as a people and galvanises our leaders to try and create some sort of improvement,” the DOMA president la-mented.

Aboud also warned that the nation’s longstanding atmosphere of harmony and tolerance was slowly being eroded “because of certain pronouncements.” He expressed concern about the effect this could have on TT’s children and said Caribbean leaders must study the US to find out how to perform the task of self-governance effectively.