Crossing the line

NATIONAL Security Minister Martin Joseph must be kicking himself for making such a foolish statement, that criminals had “crossed the line” with the murder, last week Tuesday, of acting Insp Edward Williams. The Minister made this thoughtless observation at last Thursday’s post-Cabinet press conference and, since then, we have been flooded with letters from irate readers condemning him for what one of them described as an audacious piece of “utter nonsense.” In our view, the Minister deserves the licks since his statement conveys the impression that the frightening level of murder and violence that has gripped the country over the recent past has meant rather little to him since it is only now, with the killing of Insp Williams, that the criminals have actually “crossed the line.”

For our part, we cannot help but wondcr how the Minister could have made such a faux pas since this newspaper, from its inception in 1993, has been emphasising the fact that violent crime had become a major public concern demanding a serious response from the authoritries. In fact, this was the reason why we decided to report serious incidents of crime on our front page, becoming the first daily to do so. We did so deliberately, even though the policy at first incurred the condemnation of some sectors of the community who criticised us for “glorifying crime.” However, we had faith in our instincts and our motives which a huge catalogue of dreadful events have since fully justified. In our opinion, criminals had long since crossed the line when we came into existence and, even as a fledgling daily, we felt compelled to highlight this menace to our society in hope that it would provoke an effective response from those responsible for enforcing the law in our country.

It distresses us now to observe that, 11 years after the advent of Newsday, the incidence of murder, violent crime and kidnapping has escalated while all the plans and proposals, the tactics and strategies adopted by the Government and law enforcement agencies during that period have failed conspicuously to curb this criminal activity. Indeed, if we are to judge by the Minister’s observation, it seems that the authorities are yet to fully grasp the extent and impact of the crime crisis in our country. It is either this, or they are essentially impotent to undertake the kind of drastic action the situation demands and the citizenry expect. However, one thing that doesn’t seem lacking is cliche-ridden robber talk.

Listen to the Minister, waving his left index finger menacingly in the air: “To the criminals out there who think they can continue to operate with impunity and disregard for the laws of this nation and the sanctity of life, I want to assure them that when you continue to murder citizens and when you viciously murder a law enforcement officer in such a cold blooded and callous manner as was done to acting Insp Edward Williams, you have crossed the line and be assured that law enforcement officers will leave no stone unturned to bring you to justice.” We feel sure that the country’s criminals are now trembling in fear from the Minister’s assurance, regretting they have made the fatal mistake of “crossing the line,” as they plan their next assault on the country’s unsuspecting citizens. If there is a line over which Ministers lapse into inanity, Martin Joseph has vaulted over it.