Hochoy slams police, prisons

MINORITY LEADER in the Tobago House of Assembly (THA), Hochoy Charles, on Thursday launched a broadside attack on the operations of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service. He also slammed prison conditions in the country, declaring that the prison system was “manufacturing criminals by the millions.”

Charles said the entire police service had to be restructured and “cleaned up” and a more stringent recruiting system put in place. “We have to free the police service of political interference!” Charles declared. He charged that police officers “work like public servants,” with stations which were up to full strength during the day virtually closed down at nightfall. “You know what could inform a decision like that? Somebody feels the criminals working like public servants too,” he asserted. Charles stressed that whenever a crime is committed anywhere in Trinidad and Tobago somebody is aware of it. “Why they not coming forward to inform the police? Lack of trust! You don’t know if you speaking to the wrong person in uniform,” he declared.

On the issue of prison conditions, Charles noted that persons innocent to the ways of crime were ‘graduating’ as real criminals after being imprisoned in cells with up to ten or more hardened criminals. “If we don’t deal with the overcrowding in prison, we will spend billions dealing with crime and we wouldn’t get anywhere,” he said. “If we don’t do that we will be manufacturing criminals by the millions.” However, in direct response to Charles, THA Chief Secretary Orville London warned the House that as representatives of the people, “we must be careful not to tarnish the image of the entire police service.” Debate was on a motion tabled by London at Thursday’s regular monthly plenary session of the THA calling on the Assembly to support the (THA) Executive Council in its efforts to curb the increase in criminal activities in Tobago. The motion was subsequently approved by the House.