Crime-Free Carnival

THOUSANDS of revellers put aside fears of rampant crime and alleged terrorist activities, and took to the streets of Port-of-Spain in a celebration of Carnival as the reign of the Merry Monarch reached its climax yesterday.

This year’s celebrations were by and large a merry affair free from major crime and lawlessness, thanks to an unprecedented number of police and army officers who stood guard at every street corner. Contacted for comment late yesterday evening, Port-of-Spain Mayor Murchison Brown heaped praises on the security forces, who he said were responsible for keeping this year’s Carnival generally crime free. “Everything is working beautifully up to now,” an elated Brown said, adding that he was always confident the security arrangements implemented for the long Carnival weekend were sufficient. In fact, he told Newsday security arrangements implemented this year would form the nucleus of security arrangements for future Carnivals. Weeks prior to the reign of the Merry Monarch, concerns about a rising tide in criminal activity from different quarters of the national community and reports of alleged terrorist activity in Trinidad and Tobago,  threatened to cast a dark cloud over the event. However all fears and misgiving were swept away as thousands of masqueraders and spectators flocked to the nation’s capital to participate in the festivities.

Large numbers of tourists were seen mingling freely with locals in the city, despite recent travel advisories from the United Kingdom, Australia and several UN agencies. American celebrities, including soap opera star Victoria Rowell (Drucilla on The Young and the Restless and famous attorney Johnnie Cochrane, were in the country taking in the sights and sounds of Carnival. From as early as 6 am, a steady stream of vehicles was seen entering the city. Motorists who entered Port-of-Spain via Lady Young Road, complained of having to “stew for hours” in traffic which stretched from Morvant Junction over the hills and into the city. All major entry and exit points were monitored by police, while a National Security helicopter patrolled the skies above the city. National Security Minister Howard Chin Lee toured parts of the city with top-ranking members of the security agencies, including Commissioner of Police Hilton Guy and Chief of Defence Staff Brigadier-General Ancil Antoine.   
     
There was hardly a street which was not crowded with spectators and masqueraders.  One band which clearly did not suffer from fears of crime or alleged terrorism was Poison’s “Fleurs De Passion” which heralded the birth of the first “super band” in Trinidad and Tobago Carnival. Poison’s 6,000 plus masqueraders literally snaked their way through town with the head at the corner of Park and Frederick Streets while the tail was still passing the judging point at South Quay. The head of Poison reached the Queen’s Park Savannah around 1.44 pm and it took approximately three hours for all of its 32 sections to cross the stage. Within Poison’s ranks were several local and foreign personalities. Health Minister Colm Imbert, attired in full costume, mingled freely with the masqueraders on the Savannah track and appeared not to have a care in the world. Imbert told Newsday he was enjoying his Carnival. There was a heavy security presence at the principal judging venues of the Savannah, South Quay and Adam’s Smith Square and there was smooth procession of bands at all three locations. Security arrangements were implemented from Carnival Friday, with police carrying out road-blocks and increasing surveillance in “hot-bed” areas in Laventille and Morvant. However, while criminal activities relating to the Carnival celebrations were mainly minor offences, elsewhere in the country there were three murders and seven road fatalities over the long weekend.