Plans, promises, plans, promises

The number of murders to date stands at 195. Last week the body of a man who had been kidnapped earlier this month, was found, despite negotiations between the kidnappers and the man’s family who had raised the ransom money though it had not been paid.

Citizens have put themselves under self-imposed curfew, and are increasing the security systems in their homes and business places. Apart from simple alarm systems, some houses are now equipped with cameras with the capability of scanning the entire surroundings around a house.

One of the problems in gaining the upper hand on the criminals is the slow response of the police to calls from householders about suspicious movements by suspicious looking individuals. There is also the serious problem in the lack of confidence in the police, some of whom are criminals, a fact that is well known to many except perhaps the authorities. There is even less confidence in the politicians, who every Monday morning come up with a grand plan, about which announcements are made but we don’t see any real implementation.

For example, on Monday, July 11, this newspaper carried a front page headline quoting Prime Minister Patrick Manning stating that there was a security net covering Trinidad and Tobago. That very afternoon a bomb exploded in a dustbin at the capital city’s busiest corner, Frederick and Queen Streets. A woman walking by was severely injured eventually losing a leg which had been virtually blown away. Several other people suffered injuries.

A look at the Government’s response over the last few years gives the extent of the number of promises and plans that have been made by the politicians by which so far have failed to deal with the crime and to restore a measure of confidence to the nation’s residents.

What is holding back the implementation of these grand plans? Why can’t the Government act decisively and cleanse the police service of the criminal element that exists within it? What is causing the delay in dealing with the murderers and kidnappers, who the police regularly proclaim they know and can identify?

There also has to be action taken to bridge the gap between rich and poor in this country which is a major contributor to the level of crime.