Launch anti-crime competition
THE EDITOR: It is a given that the government ministers, technocrats and police service officers have run out of or can’t seem to come up with methods or ideas to fight the country’s ever growing crime problems. I believe that it is time to try something new. In addition to the criminally-minded among us, the country is also blessed with an abundance of very smart people, if only their efforts were tapped. I am therefore suggesting that the government open up the communications lines with the citizens to come up with suggestions on how best to tackle, fight and win this war on crime. This could be in the form of a competition for the best ideas. It could be initiated in the school system, where the children could compete by writing a composition or some other form of entry to be submitted to the Ministry of National Security, through the Ministry of Education. Adults should also be encouraged to come up with ideas and submit them through their local representative, the newspapers or directly to the CoP at Police Headquarters. A website could also be set up to receive these ideas. It would be the responsibility of a panel of thinkers to go through the suggestions, list them, eliminate the duplications and submit them to the NSM for submission to Cabinet and the Parliament for debate and adoption. The final list, of say 25 suggestions, would be submitted to government for consideration and drafting into legislation. This submitted list should then be published in the media, so the citizenry can see the efforts of their work. Marching and other protests are fine, but this to me is another way to get the citizenry involved in their own security and government, instead of just leaving it up to someone else to come up with solutions. This is not an all-inclusive solution, and other ideas are welcome. The main thing is that we must be solution-oriented. We just cannot sit and wring our hands in despair and desperation without doing something proactive. This may seem to be a na?ve solution, but like the Keith Noel #136 Committee’s effort and the "Death March" to highlight crime as the problem it is, this too can take root and grow. No idea is too stupid! So come on Trinis, now is the time to put the old thinking cap on and come up with some workable ideas to save ourselves from ourselves, before it is truly too late. KELVIN C JAMES SR Port-of-Spain
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"Launch anti-crime competition"