Business sector praises Valley for his honesty

In a statement, the group noted that Valley admitted that the Government could lose the next general elections if it does not address crime.

The group said while Valley’s statements were regrettably made in the context of political survival, his honesty was very much appreciated and it offered "a glimmer of hope" to the population that "the urgency with which this national concern must be addressed is finally being realised."

"At last someone in the Government now shares our unanimous opinion that crime is the number one issue in the country," the group added. In presenting the 2005/2006 Budget in Parliament last Wednesday, Prime Minister Patrick Manning said Scotland Yard and the FBI would establish units in Trinidad and Tobago and work with local law enforcement agencies to reduce crime in the country. The group also welcomed UNC political leader Winston Dookeran’s initiative to bring Manning and Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday together to address crime.

However, in Wednesday’s Budget debate in Parliament, Couva South MP Kelvin Ramnath poured cold water on Dookeran’s initiative, saying the UNC would not support passage of the Police Reform Bills if Government brings them back to Parliament.

Ramnath also charged that the criminals paid no heed to Manning’s Budget statements on crime, since "more than a dozen" persons had been murdered from then to now.

He also said the FBI and Scotland Yard would not help the police reduce crime in this country, and they should instead investigate why the Police Service could not do so.