Joseph: Crime not all that bad

Joseph has been under fire for the escalating crime, particularly murder, but the minister told guests at the function in La Romain that the crime problem was not as bad as Trinidadians made it out to be.

Statistics, Joseph said, pointed to the fact that out of the 69 police station districts, 18 of them were responsible for 65 percent of the crimes committed.

Joseph said, "Eighteen of them are responsible for 65 percent of the crime. And I’m sure when you look at those 18 police station districts, it isn’t the whole police station districts."

Admitting that crime was rampant, however, the National Security Minister told the audience of secretaries: "It is unfair for the nation to be under a state of siege from a small minority."

Joseph said that the Police Service is undergoing a transformation process with a number of officers receiving training at institutions in the United Kingdom. Senior officers are undergoing training with a US consultant on improving management systems in the service.

Joseph said that heads of the various police divisions will be made to account more effectively for the "goings-on" in their respective districts. He added that resources would be provided to the respective divisions where crime is more rampant.

Also addressing the function was PSA’s acting president Stephen Thomas. Voicing support for the National Security Minister, Thomas said, "We do not share the point of view echoed in some quarters that what you need to do is to remove the Minister of National Security or the Commis-sioner of Police. They should not be condemned for not being able to solve the crime problem."