Deosaran says ‘no’ to State of Emergency

INDEPENDENT Senator and criminologist, Prof Ramesh Deosaran, does not believe a State of Emergency, even a limited one, will solve the issue of crime now stalking the country. Members of the public and Citizens Mobilising Against Crime (CMAC), however, are calling for such a measure to be implemented to deal with the crime wave.

On Monday, Chamber of Commerce president Christian Mouttet said his organisation would support a limited State of Emergency, since the escalating violent criminal activities clearly demonstrated there was a break down of law and order. A local radio station, I95.1 FM, has also launched a campaign calling for the measure. However, Prof Deosaran, director of UWI’s Centre for Criminology and Criminal Justice, in a statement yesterday said while he initially thought it was an “attractive idea,” on further reflection he felt otherwise. He said it was clear to him that after a State of Emergency has ended, “as it must, the dragon will rear its head once again.” Deosaran’s opinion is based on three reasons. He explained that government and the police have had a number of plans and programmes which should have been implemented years, if not months ago, and suggests that the Police Commissioner and the Ministry of National Security should now put those plans on the front burner and have them implemented within fixed deadlines.

He also said a State of Emergency would not necessarily bring about a high rate of timely and substantial convictions when suspects were arrested, and it would not “help deal with an area where the most serious problems exist in terms of crime-fighting, that is, inside the Police Service itself.” Deosaran said a State of Emergency is “too big a line to cross, and it will turn out to be just another dramatic but ineffective cosmetic exercise, bigger than LEAP and Anaconda.” He said it will create more fear, panic and hopelessness. Meanwhile, CMAC is supporting calls for a limited State of Emergency. In a statement, it said the crime crisis “requires a countervailing and equal force, now!”

The group said all 36 elected representatives are not fulfilling their responsibilities, and a limited State of Emergency would give citizens and members of the protective services “breathing space to re-group and mobilise for sustainable assaults on crime.” CMAC is calling on government to provide funding for state-of-the-art technology to deal with the crime surge, as well as to bring in a “party of non-local special investigators to identify and gather evidence on the rogue cops,” whom it believes are “hampering the efforts of the dedicated police officers.”

CMAC is also suggesting that the Chief Justice issue strong guidelines to all judges and magistrates to take into account the nation’s crisis, and to be less tolerant with those charged with serious crimes such as murders, kidnappings, possession of illegal weapons and road deaths.
A Newsday poll of members of the public on the topic, showed that the majority of those interviewed felt the idea was a good one.
They blamed youths for committing most of the crimes, saying there was need to keep them off the streets after certain hours.