Dotishness on crime

Charles, the representative for Naparima, known for his boisterous presentations spent so much time berating Government for its performance on crime prevention and seeking to cast Trinidad and Tobago as one of the worst crime ridden countries in the world, that he virtually ran out of time when it came to providing some recommendations.

His main message: crime spirals whenever the PNM is in power, prompting a similar mantra but with unusual fire and vehemence from National Security Minister Edmund Dillon, that when the UNC is in Opposition crime takes an upswing.

Left on the side-lines of all the shouting and desk thumping that are now the characteristics of parliamentary sittings is the hapless police service still awaiting decisive action on the appointment of a commissioner, and the citizenry in general who are by now are close to giving up on whether they will ever get a respite from the inexorable increase in the murders and other criminal mayhem.

As MPs were confronting each other, police were examining the circumstances surrounding the death of Chaguanas pharmacist and businesswoman Rahzia Pamela Sieuchand, 65. She was found stabbed to death on Friday in a bedroom at her Lange Park, Chaguanas, home which was completely ransacked. The murder brought back painful memories of the infamous murder of Vindra Naipaul-Coolman. Like Naipaul- Coolman, Sieuchand was a businesswoman. She owned and operated a pharmacy at St Helena in Piarco reportedly since 1981, building it from scratch.

That murder, which occurred more than a decade ago, has never resulted in a single successful prosecution in court for murder.

Persons were charged but set free, while two are awaiting a re-trial.

Some of the accused even died.

We hope the central police division is able to solve this latest case. And by this, we do not mean rushed arrests. It remains true that all investigations must be thorough and must result in actionable evidence which can be marshalled before a court of law. Rounding up a few suspects is not enough.

Sadly, the Lange Park murder is just one in a continuing tide. But while the bodies are piling up, the practical solutions seem few and far between.

With crime now also affecting Tobago, the issue of the shortage of forensic pathologists has once more been highlighted.

According to a report in yesterday’s edition, there is the expectation that the State may attempt to use the ferry to transport three bodies. The reaction from forensic pathologist Dr Valery Alexandrov was swift.

“This is ludicrous!” he said.

“This is total dementia to bring three bodies on the ferry. They would have to bring crime scene people and officers will be required to transfer the bodies. As far as I see it, this is absolute and total stupidity.” He continued, “I am also fearing a contamination of evidence. It is international standard that bodies being carried from one place to another should be put in sealed metal coffins and should not be among the public. I have been in the country for over ten years and I am shocked from time to time by the level of incompetence.” Why is it that we are yet to address issues like these that affect the State’s ability to tackle crime? The forensic examination of a body is a crucial matter which heavily influences law enforcement agencies’ ability to solve murders.

Instead of bickering about who did what when, our politicians need to get serious and cooperate and listen to people like Alexandrov in order to find solutions.