‘Sister Isle should manage crime situation’

Tobago West Mp Stanford Callender has stated that the sister isle is not immune to crime. Callender also said that as the smaller of the two islands comprising Trinidad and Tobago, “we should be able to manage the situation.” Speaking at last Friday’s Budget Debate in the House of Representatives, Callender said while some persons expressed the view that getting help from the FBI and Scotland Yard were of no value, “crime is an international problem and who is TT not to seek help from the best in the world?” “Tobago is not immune, we can’t escape crime and criminal activity which is stalking the land. But as the smaller of the two islands, we should be able to manage the situation.”

He called on all NGO’s, CBO’s and law abiding citizens in Tobago to be guardians of safety, demanding that “we accept nothing but zero tolerance. We must stop them (criminals) before they multiply. They should not threaten our economy, we should remain safe, clean, green and serene.” Callender said he will soon meet with National Security Minister Martin Joseph to discuss several matters. The MP was also optimistic about the islands tourism sector. He said cruise ship arrivals on the island were expected to increase to 66 this year from 45 last year. The increase he said, was anticipated to bring over 10,000 more people to the island, that is 55,000 compared to the 43,000 passengers last year.

Callender said there were significant improvements in the tourism sector on the island, since the Prime Minister responded to the distress call about tourism. He said the hotel occupancy rate was 17 percent a few years ago, putting several hotels on the verge of bankruptcy, as there was only one international airline flying to the island. However because of certain initiatives, Callender said things have since changed. He said with the addition of several other international flights to the island, hotel occupancy rate was up to 70 percent. He said the Tobago terminals at Crowne Point and Piarco will also be upgraded during this fiscal year and a fast ferry to service the sea bridge will be purchased next year, when the lease on The Cat expires in April. Callender said he was also looking forward to a restructured BWIA.