UNC slams new crime plan — it’s a powder puff approach

THE OPPOSITION United National Congress (UNC) slammed yesterday’s new anti-crime initiative as “a powder puff approach to crime” by the People’s National Movement (PNM) and maintained that the Government is to blame for the current levels of crime in Trinidad and Tobago.

At a news conference at the Police Administration Building yesterday, National Security Minister Howard Chin Lee announced the deployment of 1,000 additional police officers to patrol the nation’s streets and creation of a National Crime Commission as one of several new measures that are being implemented to deal with crime. “The time for swift and decisive action is now. No government can assure its citizens that it can eliminate crime totally. However it is incumbent on any responsible administration to identify and enact the necessary measures to keep the level of criminal activity as minimal as possible. It is not anticipated that these measures will eliminate criminal behaviour but in substantial ways they will lend a greater level of effect to the anti-crime results, oriented and initiated.”

However the UNC described the initiative as “a signal that the government is prepared to adopt a powder puff approach to crime.” The Opposition claimed UNC Leader Basdeo Panday’s Port-of-Spain office is being bombarded by local and foreign calls about crime in TT and “many businessmen have informed us of their intention to leave Trinidad and migrate to North America and the United Kingdom.” The UNC charged that Government’s incompetence in dealing with crime is reflected in the persons of Chin Lee and Attorney-General Glenda Morean and Prime Minister Patrick Manning’s “now infamous meeting with ‘community leaders’ and his constant fraternising with terrorists.” The UNC claimed all of Government’s crime plans have failed and felt dialogue with the business community was late in coming.

The Opposition reiterated its allegations that CEPEP and URP monies were fuelling crime in TT and said “the sharp rise in kidnapping for ransom is a phenomenon associated with the return to power of the PNM.” Based on this fact, one may be led to the inescapable conclusion that there is a connection between the highly financed PNM Local Government campaign and monies received from ill-gotten activities, the UNC declared. The UNC called for cutting edge technology to be employed in the war on crime, similar to measures undertaken in New York by former mayor Rudolph Giuliani.