MARCH AGAINST CRIME

AT Sunday’s march in Barrackpore against crime, while its trigger had been the murder of young engineer Ashmead Baksh, son of UNC MP for Naparima, Nizam Baksh, what must have prompted the large turnout would have been the marchers’ concern at the growing number of crimes in the country, including murders and kidnappings. The placards carried by the marchers, most of them printed, ranged from a terse “Must Stop Now” to the anxious question, “Who’s Next? Me? My Mother? My Father? My Daughter? My Sister? My Son? My Brother?”

What came across clearly was that although young Baksh’s father was a UNC Member of Parliament, as was his uncle Sadiq Baksh, and that among those taking part were other UNC MP’s, the march was not intended by the demonstrators as a political one but rather as a means of expressing their anxiety and worry at the upsurge in crime, which had claimed the life of someone many of them knew, and about the crime situation generally. Muslims, Christians, Hindus and Hare Krishna devotees were represented in the march, which included Ministers of the Roman Catholic and Presbyterian churches and Hindu pundits. But it is not enough for there merely to have been a march. Instead Sunday’s demonstration must be translated into community involvement.

For while something must be done and be seen to be done about the crime situation by the Ministry of National Security, nonetheless the communities must help, and individuals must come forward to assist the Protective Services by providing needed information. Too many citizens are turning a proverbial blind eye to crimes which they have witnessed, or to suspicious looking characters in their neighbourhood. Hopefully, Sunday’s march of thousands along with the media publicity surrounding it will encourage persons with information to either call the Protective Services or the Crime Stoppers Unit. For in a broader sense persons who witness murder, kidnappings, rapes, robberies or other serious crimes tacitly assist the criminals, by their silence, in possibly getting away.

The excuse, all too often, and an irresponsible one at that, is a fear of becoming involved and possibly an eventual victim. And while, admittedly, a caller reporting a crime to a Police Station will, invariably, be required to identify himself/herself, the same does not apply to calls to the Crime Stoppers Unit. The system here allows for advice on crimes to be given in confidence, and rather than the individual being required to provide a name and address, a code number is given instead to the caller, by which he/she can collect a reward at a bank of choice if the crime reported is solved.

Sunday’s march would have achieved a great deal more than a mere emotional impact should concerned citizens, who took part in it or watched it on television, heard of it on the radio or read about it in the newspapers, and who may have information on crimes, come forward. Silence merely helps the criminals. Most of all, the Government should take note of the anger that is rising to the top and really get serious about stemming the tide of violent crime. It is their duty and responsibility and the people will not forgive them if they fail to act now.