Crime tsunami

It is high time that the Government give a definition of the term “temporary.” It was in May of this year that Prime Minister Patrick Manning gave his now infamous assurance at a PNM Family Day celebration. “What faces us now is temporary,” he said, “and as plans that we have put in place and are implementing begin to take effect over time, you will see a reduction of the level of deviant behaviours to a level that is more acceptable to a society as ours.” Mr Manning, a politician to the bone, did not give even a general time-frame nor the slightest clue as to what crime level he would find “acceptable.” And, as the months passed with no decline to show that Government’s plans were having any effect, the public heard a new spin — that the situation would get worse before it would get better.

Well, it has certainly gotten worse. The last 24 hours saw six murders. Eighteen-year-old Mark Rattan, a medical student, was killed in what appears to have been a kidnapping attempt gone awry. Another young man, Antonio Jonas-Rodriguez, was shot and killed by two men when they tried to run away from two robbers. Gary Chuniesingh was shot in the back when he tried to protect his boss who was being beaten by three men in an argument about stolen watermelons. Wayne Parris was gunned down in a relative’s house in what police believe is a gang-related killing. And the body of 19-year-old Devon Popee was discovered in Valencia with a single gunshot wound to the back of the head. The sixth murder was domestic — 34-year-old Ricki Ramsubhag was stabbed by a relative during an argument.

So that is the worse. Where is the better? It was Trade Minister Ken Valley who, in June, reiterated his political leader’s prediction with the promise that crime would be reduced “within a matter of months.” Since Mr Valley made this statement six months ago, it is safe to assert now that his prediction was completely and utterly wrong. And we wonder if he will be man enough to apologise for misleading the public. Unfortunately, though, the spiralling crime wave hasn’t stopped this rhetoric from Government spokespersons. Only two weeks ago, in piloting the Bail Amendment Bill, Attorney General John Jeremie supported Mr Manning, saying that the crime wave had to be temporary since “that is what a crime wave is.” But Mr Jeremie misses the point. It may happen that the gang-related murders will decline, simply because the killings outpace the supply of new gang members.

But such a lull, if it happens, will itself be surely temporary. It can last only three to five years since, if the conditions which encourage crime are not changed, the whole cycle must start up again as young males enter their late teens and early 20s. It is these conditions that have to be dealt with if the crime situation is to be contained. And what are some of the conditions? A lack of education, a lack of real jobs (as distinct from the make-work jobs of URP and CEPEP), the illegal drug trade, corrupt and incompetent police officers, and an inhumane prison system. Clearly, some of these conditions can only be ameliorated in the long term. But issues like incompetent police, corruption in the URP, and more effective detection can, with the right policies and the political will, show results within a few years. But perhaps it is telling that the Government, while still insisting that crime is temporary, has refused to pin even that time-frame to their rhetoric.