Suruj: PM cannot delegate responsibility on crime

“Mr Prime Minister you are responsible for the people ton whom you have delegated authority.” He was speaking in the Lower House on Friday on an Opposition motion on crime.

He criticised Government for spending 21 months blaming the previous administration to solve the problems of today and tomorrow but the country is “fed up” of this. He said the Government had declared they are in charge and we have to “deal with it” but the population is responding that they are not dealing with crime.

He pointed out Agriculture Minister Clarence Rambharat’s statements in Parliament that he was “not a fan of the police” and they are part of the critical failure of the criminal justice system could demotivate and demoralising officers.

He added that the Prime Minister has not minced words with his criticisms of the Police Service.

He asked rhetorically that when senior government memebrs express disatisfaction with police service and they are in charge via the National Security Ministry and the National Security Council “what that leave for citizens?” Rambachan said he takes issue with statements that crime fighting is police work and not “government work” but “everything is government work”.

“Ministers cannot escape their responsibilities.” He said that the Prime Minister seems to think that he has delegated responsibility on crime.

“I must admit that I have reached the point that when I look at the Prime Minister and I look at how the Prime Minister is running the affairs of the country and by what he says that he is happy that he has achieved the goal of Prime Minister but he is very disinterested in the role of Prime Minister.

He said that when delegate authority you have to provide with resources.

“If you want police to solve crime you do not do that simply by increasing the number of crime investigators to 60 you know. You have to say what support they really need to crack the crime.” Rambachan said he had been complaining about the “chaos” in Chaguanas to the National Security Minister but nothing has been done to alleviate the situation.

He also expressed “horror” at the crime that is taking place “on our very doorsteps.” Rambachan said we “shudder and tremble” at the murder of a 13 year-old boy in a “brutal manner”, a reference to the killing of Videsh Subar in Malabar. He said, however, that while he drove through Chaguanas people were going about business as usual and questions whether we have become numb as country and have such a short memory since the last murder.

Earlier in the debate Port-of-Spain North/St Ann’s West MP Stuart Young said when he heard of the “heinous crime” (in Malabar) he looked at his son at home and felt a sense of despair.

He said that it pains him when he hears of a citizen affected by crime.

“As a citizen of Trinidad and Tobago and now someone who has been given the responsibility and has the knowledge of what it is we’re faced with it pains me because like everyone else in this house I have family. And everytime any citizen of Trinidad and Tobago is affected by crime, as we have seen over the last couple of days, it does genuinely pain me as the representative for Port of Spain North/St Ann’s West but more importantly as a citizen of Trinidad and Tobago.

Because...any patriotic citizen of Trinidad and Tobago would want to be part of the solution and not part of the problem.” He said that Government is not passing the responsibility on crime to the law enforcement agencies but that is their statutory responsibility.

“I have no power of search and arrest.” He continued: “I am not a police officer.

I do not have the ability to go and investigate crime and prosecute crime. So why is it those on the other side are criticising us when we say it is the police service must do that.

That is what the laws of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago say.”