Sir Ellis backs crime debate

Speaking with Newsday following the launch of the Anthony N Sabga Caribbean Awards for Excellence at the Hilton Trinidad, Ellis welcomed Thursday’s announcement by National Security Minister Martin Joseph — that Government will move a motion in Parliament on November 9 to debate TT’s crime problems and how to combat them.

Ellis, himself a victim of an attempted robbery on September 25, 2004, said he did not participate in last weekend’s Death March, but supported it "if its purpose was merely to draw attention to the feelings of the community and the need for urgent action." "I think that is the underlying purpose of the march if the country wants to be better informed of what is happening. I think it is really good that it should be aired in Parliament."

Ellis was also the chairman of a committee responsible for drafting the Police Service Reform Bills in 1999, under the then UNC government.

The formation of that committee arose from an overture by then opposition leader (now Prime Minister) Patrick Manning for Government and Opposition to collaborate in dealing with the nation’s crime problems. At that time, consensus was reached between the PNM and UNC that the Bills would be passed regardless of the 2000 General Elections results.

The UNC won those elections, but the Bills were not passed. Since the PNM returned to office in 2001, the UNC has repeatedly said it would not support the passage of the Bills in Parliament unless there is constitutional reform. The Bills were defeated in Parliament in July 2004 after the Opposition refused to support them after three days of debate.

Last month, new UNC political leader Winston Dookeran offered to bring Manning and Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday together to discuss how to address the country’s crime problems. Manning and Panday have agreed to the meeting in principle but it has yet to materialise.

On Tuesday, Manning and National Security Minister Martin Joseph met with FBI director Robert Mueller at Whitehall to discuss ways in which the FBI could assist local law enforcement agencies to deal with the crime situation.

In his September 28 Budget presentation in Parliament, the Prime Minister said the FBI and Britain’s Scotland Yard would help to upgrade the crime-fighting capabilities of local law enforcement agencies.