Legislation alone will not solve crime

THE EDITOR: It was with horror that I read of the kidnapping of three-year-old Saada Singh last Thursday. Not only was the kidnapping cold and calculated, but the manner in which it was executed shows gross negligence on the part of the daycare school in which the toddler was being cared for. It was irresponsible, if not negligent for teachers of the school not to have called Saada’s parents to confirm with them that someone else was going to pick up their child. How could a three-year-old child instil so much confidence in her caregivers for them to have allowed her to leave with a stranger, wearing a wig no less?

Understandably enough, her relatives are calling on both Government and Opposition for a non-partisan approach to dealing with crime, asking for legislation to  be enacted. San Fernando Mayor, Ian Atherly has also asked for crime not to be published on the front page of the newspapers.  In these troubled times, one cannot fault both relatives and the mayor for making such calls. Doing something, anything, is better than doing nothing in dealing with the scourge we are now forced to live with. Yet, legislation alone is not the panacea for dealing with crime, and we are foolhardy to think so.  Successful detection and prosecution does not require special legislation, and no new laws are going to aid such.

Consigning crime reports to the inner pages of newspapers is the same as sticking our heads deeper in the sand. Crime is a problem we all face, and we have to deal with it head on, with great urgency. The government of Trinidad and Tobago has the task of leading the country, and in so doing must not shirk the responsibility of securing citizens by blaming the opposition. They were elected by the people and have the power to deal with crime. Unfortunately, they have chosen to play games with peoples minds instead of taking the fight to the criminals.

WAYNE JAGGERNAUTH
Research Associate
Loughborough University
Leicestershire
United Kingdom