Cyrus signed a one-year deal last month with the option to extend and appears to be settling in at the club, although his Spanish- speaking skills may not yet be as good as Williams who held his own fairly well during an interview on camera with a Honduran reporter last week.

“I am not as good in Spanish as Jan as yet but so far things have been very good at the club,” Cyrus told TTFA Media “We had a game on Saturday in which I played the full 90 minutes and Jan came on for the second half.

“The players and the staff have embraced us and made us feel very comfortable. And the fans have been good so far.

“The league starts at month end but the preseason preparations have been intense and there is a lot happening.

Before coming here, I heard a lot of good things from Jerrel Britto and being here now, I have seen it for myself that the clubs are very organised and at our club in particular the level is good. I think it’s definitely a step up for me and I am looking forward to a good, solid season,” Cyrus added.

TT’s next World Cup game is at home to Honduras on September 1 with both teams seeking full points to maintain their qualifying chances.

TT need the win before moving on to Panama City to face Panama four days later.

“At the moment I think everyone understands the importance of that game against Honduras.

Both myself and Jan can sense here also that they (the Hondurans) know how big the match is and of course they know us as national players from Trinidad Tobago as we played here last year.

But for us, the focus while we are here is Juticalpa and doing well in the league. So far the people here have welcomed us and we are part of them.”

In one of the incidents, police jointly charged Dareem Hamilton and a 15-year-old boy who was released in the care of his mother after he pleaded guilty.

Hamilton, of Thompson Gardens in Tarodale, appeared yesterday in the First Court charged with several counts of robbery with aggravation and possessions of guns and ammunition.

Prosecutor Cleydon Seedan told the court that on September 13, 2012, at about 11.20 am, Irma Samlal was at her businessplace Samlal’s Grocery at Southern Main Road, La Romaine, when Hamilton armed with a cutlass entered and announced a hold-up.

He demanded cash and Samlal handed him $3,500. Hamilton walked away and Samlal called the police.

On December 8, 2012 police met Hamilton at the San Fernando Police Station where he confessed to the crime.

He said he shared up the money at Peters Street, La Romaine.

PC Poolchan of the Southern Division Task Force laid the charge.

Two months later at about 9.30 am on November 12, Shova Moonilal-Forbes was at her businessplace also at Southern Main Road when Hamilton robbed her of $5,000 and two bottles of rum together valued $200. He was charged with that robbery by PC Noyan on December 8, 2012.

Seedan told the court that about 8.10 am on December 6, 2012, Peter Rattan, Narvin Jaimungal, Narine Jaimungal and Samaroo Seelochan were at La Plaisance Road, La Romaine when Hamilton, armed with a gun, robbed them of several items including four gold chains, two gold pendants, TT$ 1,115, US$ 627, two TT driver’s permits and one USA driver’s permit.

Police went to Temple Street, La Romaine and saw Hamilton sitting in a green. Police told him of the report of robbery with aggravation.

They searched him and found a gun with a magazine, which contained eight rounds of ammunition, in the waist of his pants. In the left front pants pocket, they found the stolen chains and pendants.

In his right front pocket, police found the money as well as the drivers permits and other items. PC Gerod of the Guard and Emergency Branch laid the charge.

At about 2 pm on March 19, last year, Vishal Moonlalsingh was on duty at Charran’s Cosmetics and Beauty Store at Ste Margaret’s Junction, Claxton Bay when he saw the 15-yearold boy and Hamilton, who had a firearm, enter the establishment.

They robbed him of a quantity of items. Police went to Old Train Line Road, Claxton Bay where they met the boy in the presence of his 19-year-old brother.

On March 27, police met Hamilton at the Marabella Police Station. PC Gordon of the Ste Margaret’s Police Station charged them.

The last set of robberies took place at about 8.48 pm on April 2, last year.

Constable Smith and other police officers received a report and went to Jing Supermarket at Southern Main Road, Marabella.

They saw Hamilton pointing a gun at a man on the ground.

Police ordered him to put down the gun but he left through a back entrance. He was chased and arrested a short distance away in some bushes with a gun in the waist of his pants.

Police searched a black bag which he had and found $1,724 and a quantity of Digicel and Bmobile cards.

Smith charged him with possession of a firearm, ammunition and robbery with aggravation.

Yesterday defence attorney Perusha Lord represented Hamilton and the minor.

The minor, she submitted, had neither previous convictions nor pending matters.

He understood the seriousness of the offence and expressed remorse, Lord told the magistrate.

Lord said the boy does not want to be labelled a scum of society and aspires to become an underwater welder.

Antoine released him in the care of his mother and ordered a probation officer’s report. She adjourned the case to July 31.

Hamilton spent one year and three months in custody and was remorseful for the wrong he did, the attorney said.

Where are the “experts” who have ostensibly benefited, generously so (in many instances, from State-funded training and paid leave at the expense of manpower shortage), to strengthen the institutional capacity of criminal justice and its main branches of law enforcement, adjudication and corrections/ rehabilitation? For all of these investments into our human capital, we seem to be woefully failing in managing our increasingly morphing crimescape.

Abysmal prevention, detection, apprehension and solve rates, little trust and respect in the relationship between police and public, a lawyers’ millionaires club, thriving jailhouse entrepreneurship enabled by a few crooked and certainly reckless prison officers working in tandem with innovative inmates have succeeded in making recidivism more attractive than rehabilitation.

“Justice on Time” is merely a catchy-sounding tagline for a million- dollar transportation niche because the real wheels of justice are still, in large part, being cranked by the random output of a computer (program) whose algorithm has long been cracked. Or is it hacked? This coupled with the seemingly concerted attempts at erosion of the lines that are supposed to separate politics and the Judiciary where some operatives seem more motivated about circumventing, beating or dismantling “the system” than about the long-term self-destructive impact their actions have on national progress. One must wonder: is it all part of a strategy of calculated chaos? New fleets of SUVs, state-of-theart structures and other tools of trade will inefficiently and ineffectively serve the operational tier of the criminal justice management pyramid without strategies and tactics that are, among other things, current, coherent, integrated and strategically applicable to a big(ger) mission that is competently led for national good.

Skills and resources in the right placement and combination require will in the equation if meaningful, forward progress and success are our goals.

DEBRA J JOHNSON via email

He added the prime minister acted in a “no-nonsense” manner given questions and concerns which arose over a guest at McDonald’s swearing in ceremony last Friday.

Asked whether she should consider resigning as an MP after her second dismissal from the Cabinet, Basdeo said, “No, she was elected as an MP which is up to her and her constituents to determine her future as to whether they want her to remain so.

“But the point about that is, clearly she has been fired as a minister from a ministerial portfolio.

And if she has been fired for the reasons we are speculating she has been fired for, the association that she has, it is hardly likely she will come back as a minister in this term.” Asked about Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s calls for a new election, he said, “Well every opposition leader, that is their role and function. They are to call on the government to call fresh election.”

Burke was not on the list of approved invitees and James said he did not understand why McDonald did this especially as he was not properly attired for such an event. James said McDonald was being given a second chance (be being returned to Cabinet) yet displayed a kind of innocence which he could not comprehend given her years of experience in politics.

James said McDonald seemed to believe what she did by inviting Burke into the swearing in ceremony, was proper and yet this was clearly untenable and Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley had no choice but to fire her.

James said that the Prime Minister himself has questions to answer regarding his judgement in reappointing McDonald even as investigations by the Integrity Commission and the Fraud Squad are ongoing.

James said the Prime Minister probably felt enough time had passed (16 months – when he last fired McDonald as Housing Minister) and no charges had been laid. James added that although no charge has been laid at present, this does not mean the situation could change later on.

James was also puzzled about an apparent breach of security at President’s House as Burke was not on the list of invitees yet was able to reach the conference room and later posed for photos with President Anthony Carmona and PM Rowley.

Another political commentator, Ferdie Ferreira, said the revocation of McDonald’s appointment comes after the People’s Partnership saw the removal of dozens of Cabinet members over a five year period.

He said political parties have a serious responsibility to re-examine the process of selection of candidates. He added that it was turning out to be an issue not only of the selection of candidates but also of the judgement of the Prime Minister, who has sole responsibility for the composition of the Cabinet.

Mahindra “Pa” Moonsammy, 25, of Petit Caf? Road was stabbed twice in the chest and back on Sunday afternoon by a 20-year-old man, the victim’s family said.

Moonsammy, the killer and several other young men were liming at a car wash situated just across the road from the victim’s home. Although none of the men worked at the car wash, residents said this was the usual liming spot for the men who sometimes in the past, quarrelled among themselves at the carwash.

Police said that at about 5 pm, a verbal disagreement escalated when Moonsammy approached his debtor to have the $140 repaid.

For his queries and the argument that ensued, Moonsammy was stabbed twice in the chest and as he turned to run, was stabbed twice in the back. He walked to his nearby house, blood soaking his vest while the attacker ran off.

Moonsammy was taken to the San Fernando General Hospital where he died while receiving treatment.

“Boy, Pa was my real bredren from long time,” said the owner of the car wash, where the stabbing occurred.

He asked to remain anonymous out of fear for his life since the 20-year-old attacker remained at large.

“The last thing I know, Pa went to make punch for us. He brought the punch for us to drink and I left for a little bit. When I came back, is all this madness I hear take place.

I couldn’t believe it. I can’t believe he died for just $140. That is small money.” Neighbours said the suspect was new to the area, having only lived there for about three months in an apartment paid for by his grandmother.

“We don’t know him very well,” said a neighbour.

“But he is a little troubled because his mother is bed-ridden and I think he got a call the other day that his sister was going mad.” Moonsammy’s family was in deep shock yesterday, struggling to come to terms with his murder.

“I don’t even know how to feel as yet,” said sister Saraswatee Moonsammy. “That is something you never expect would happen.

He was a very respectable boy.” Investigations are being led by Constable Rahim of the Homicide Investigations Bureau (Region III) alongside Sgt Elvin and Constable Noyan.

Blame Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar. Blame the Government for lack of initiative.

Blame the Opposition for having the formula and not sharing it.

Blame National Security Minister Edmund Dillon and even MP Fitzgerald Hinds for just posing. Blame Hugo Chavez.

Blame Nicolas Maduro. Blame Donald Trump. And when you run out of people to blame, just blame God.

Crime is as old as mankind.

An important trait of the creation is its ability to self-destruct be it the destruction of human beings, trees, animals, the air, the water and even the land forms. However, our part in the annihilation is limited to only changing the form of matter.

In the past the world had agreed to commit crimes against humanity: the slave trade, World Wars One and the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, ethnic cleansing, Catholics against Protestants, Muslims against Hindus.

Other crimes against the planet: air and water pollution, hunting the animals, destruction of the forests, desecration of the seas, and even mining and quarrying.

On a more individual note: food producers dumping commodities to maintain high prices, doctors deliberately mistreating their patients until they can pay no more, lawyers representing the guilty for exorbitant fees, and the list goes on and on.

Everyone is born with constructive and destructive tendencies.

We have criminality embedded in our DNA, hence our ability to commit the atrocities above and keep a straight face with no remorse.

Despite all that’s happening, indoctrination and the education system are purposeful in maintaining the status quo. Is this a silent agreement of the trend? If no, what were the adjustments made in the society to cure the ills? We have agreed to blame each other, collect symptoms and engineer superficial solutions for an age-old problem.

A civil society will make every effort to discover what the individual has in his or her constitution and provide an environment that allows the venting of positive tendencies.

Failing to do this the society will have to build a hierarchical system of punishments to treat with offenders and satisfy the cravings of the offended for vengeance.

This is what modern-day societies call a judicial system. It is based on catching the culprits and proving that they are guilty of wrong-doing.

The glaring faults of such a system are that an eyewitness is needed; guilt may or may not be established based on the competence of the attorney; the punishment may or may not equal the crime; the innocent can be mistakenly punished and the guilty can get off scot-free; not all offenders are caught and justice appears to be vengeance by a third party.

The limited definition of crime allows high economic status to elevate some above the law. In this type of society there is a high demand for selective corporal punishment, security forces, protective services, institutions for incarceration, firing squads, and even hangmen.

We are then caught in the tangle of helping, protecting, correcting, nurturing and destroying, which give crime a foothold in the universe that even prayer cannot eradicate.

LENNOX FRANCIS via email

On social media, pictures of horrendous torrents in Cascade circulated. Numerous streets in the city were submerged. And businesses that were open were forced to close.

“Our capital city floods every rainy season, every year and pedestrians are made to suffer,” remarked businessman Gary Aboud.

“After decades of energy wealth, we fail at even the simplest organised management and preparedness of basic recurring events like flash flooding and heavy rains. Will we ever get it right?” We welcome the effort by the Ministry of Works and Transport to be responsive to these issues.

In a statement, the Ministry of Works said a technical team had been dispatched to conduct preliminary assessments in affected areas with an aim of providing immediate relief to residents.

The ministry further advised residents to visit its website to identify all infrastructural issues so that the relevant agencies can be sent to provide the necessary assistance in the shortest possible time frame.

Social media is a useful tool which can enable the State to get a clearer picture of the situation and to respond in a timely way.

But the issue is what happens when things become so bad that residents are unable to have the luxury of turning on their computers or connecting their smartphones to the Internet? The more long-term issue is the need for the State to stop placing emphasis on being reactive and to always be proactive.

For sure, it is very important that mechanisms are in place to respond to events.

These mechanisms must be tested and refined and subject to review so as to work as efficiently as possible.

However, we are sure the ministry will agree that there is a need to have water courses cleared regularly. What happened in Cascade is indicative of how saturated that area quickly became.

It is also clear that not enough long-term planning work is being done, despite there being several State entities dedicated to this. Not only must plans in the regional corporations be devised on the level of local government, but there needs to also be a national plan.

Further, these plans must be consistently enforced.

It seems by now we all know the causes of flash flooding: over-development of elevated areas; blockage of drainage by pollution; unstable top soil due to deforestation; and improper land use practices.

We have spent millions of dollars on plans to deal with drainage in Port of Spain and it seems strange that after so much expenditure, we are still not getting a handle on the situation.

Has the time come for a specific agency to deal with the question of drainage nationally? Has the current arrangement — with a ministry, a town and country planning agency, and various public utilities — worked efficiently? We may also consider whether there needs to be more proactive action on the part of citizens.

For example, in the US and Canada, there is a growing movement — called Depave — which is tearing up concrete and asphalt in local neighbourhoods and replacing it with gardens to soak up rainwater and help prevent flooding. And although Depave is largely unknown here, it taps into the fact that citizens, too, have a role to play in combating the deluge.

He was acquitted of the unlawful killing (manslaughter) of a Cunupia pipe fitter in 2003. Samad was one of several police officers who went to George Street, Cunupia, on February 5, 2003, to execute a search warrant at Bernard Albarado’s home.

He was armed with an Uzi sub machine gun which he claimed was accidentally fired resulting Albarado’s death. In their ruling, Yorke-Soo Hon and Mohammed held that the judge was correct not to send the case to the jury since the prosecution failed in its duty to establish that a case had been made out against Samad. “In this case, the direct evidence and the medical evidence are in violent conflict,” Yorke-Soo Hon said.

She said by withdrawing the case from the jury, the judge acted in the best interest of justice and did not usurp the jury’s function as the State claimed in its appeal.

“Before getting to the stage of inviting the jury to consider the evidence, the prosecution must have established a prima facie case. The difficulty for the prosecution is that they were unable to pass this first hurdle because there was a material defect in that they were unable to produce any evidence to support the trajectory of the bullet and explain the exact manner in which the deceased met his death.”

JUNE 29 and 30 signalled another milestone in the professional development efforts of the Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers’ Association (TTUTA).

In collaboration with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), TTUTA hosted a two-day workshop on restorative practices facilitated by a three-member team from AFT.

Participants included teachers from across the educational districts including Tobago, as well as personnel from Student Support Services. This workshop was timely, as it provided the participants with an additional skill for improving interpersonal relationship to their toolkit. But what is this restorative practices? Restorative practice is a social science that studies how to build social capital and achieve social discipline through participatory learning and decision-making (Ted Wachtel, International Institute for Restorative Practices).

It aims to help reduce crime and violence, improve human behaviour, strengthen civil society, provide effective leadership, restore relationships and repair harm. The processes focus on proactively building relationships and a sense of community to prevent conflict and wrongdoing.

Restorative practice has its roots in restorative justice, a philosophy founded on the belief that relationships are the glue that holds our communities together. It is rooted in values that create positive relationships such as dignity, respect, trust and care. Restorative justice uses multiple strategies to strengthen relationships and build a sense of community.

These strategies are also used when conflicts or adverse situations occur. Key stakeholders are brought together to collectively address harms, needs and obligations in order to heal and make things as right as possible. The goals of restorative justice include relationships, accountability, healing and safety. Discipline paradigms are also taken into consideration when engaging in restorative practices.

Punitive discipline’s central assumption is that “Punishment and fear of future punishment will deter future misconduct.” This type of discipline asks questions such as: “What rule or law was broken?” “Who did it?” “What punishment do they deserve?” Restorative discipline’s central assumption is “Strengthening relationships and holding people accountable for repairing harm will deter future misconduct.” Questions asked include: “Who was harmed?” “What are their needs?” “Whose obligation is it to repair the harm and make it right?” We must build restorative school cultures which intentionally build trusting and respectful relationships between staff and students; understand the importance of individual and collective healing; seek to find and acknowledge the root cause of conflict; invite those who cause harm to create positive solutions to repair it; and use a dialogue-based process to resolve conflict.

Restorative practices which can be used in schools include: 1. Classroom community — intentional and consistent activities that help build meaningful relationships, strengthen classroom community and promote a culture of mutual respect in the school; for example, reflective bell ringers, shared classroom values, mindful daily interactions.

2. Talking circles — to build relationships and community in the classroom; for example, to check in and check out at the start/end of the class and/or the start/end of the week.

3. Restorative conversation — one-on-one semi-structured conversation between staff and student( s) in response to a behaviour that is causing a negative impact.

4. Peer conferences — a structured process led by trained students or staff. This is usually in response to classroom misconduct, conflicts with teachers, tardiness, minor property damage, name calling, and threats.

5. Conflict or healing circles — to heal after a fight or other major incident.

In ongoing efforts to address violence and indiscipline in schools, restorative practices offer another layer of intervention with a promise to make a difference in the long term.