In a joint media release issued yesterday, the Couva/Point Lisas Chamber of Commerce (CPLCC) the Chaguanas Chamber of Industry and Commerce (CCIC) and the Penal/Debe Chamber of Commerce (PDCC) stated that its membership “is very concerned with the ridiculous state of lawlessness and criminal activity in our country.” “It seems as though the population does not have confidence in the relevant authorities when it comes to national safety, hence we call on the Government to take control of the burgeoning crime situation even if it means calling for a limited State of Emergency in the interest of the people of Trinidad and Tobago,” the Chambers stated.

“It is evident that we have lost respect for public spaces as seen on many viral videos that were shared via social media recently, thus begging the question. What about those that are not captured? It appears we are becoming a land of anarchy and chaos,” the Chambers added.

The Chambers observed that more resources should be given to the forensic authorities to assist in detection rate by increased staffing and updated technology and that given the recent positive changes made in the Licensing department, this information should be shared with the Police Service by introducing a fully computerised system to detect criminal activities.

“Using onboard computer systems in police vehicles, dash-cam and vest-cam systems. Strengthening of the maritime borders should also be of a major priority by utilising current port container scanners,” the Chambers added.

The chambers also urged the government to seek international assistance from foreign countries who had similar situations and was able to solve their crime problems.

Martinez spoke to the media after the launch of the Deed of Covenant Initiative of the St Joseph’s Convent Port-of-Spain Past Pupils’ Association at the Abercrombie Tea Shop, Abercromby Street, Port-of-Spain.

He said while the wreckers were working to eliminate the congestion, there were some odd situations where, in their enthusiasm, they picked up vehicles indiscriminately.

“I am trying to put things in place to see that it is minimised. If I add cameras to the wreckers and someone feels that they were wrecked indiscriminately, they can come to the police station and lodge a report.

When we look back on the footage, and if it is they are correct, we will reimburse them. I think it will be the proper thing to do,” he said.

Martinez said during the Carnival season the corporation would be meeting with bandleaders to look at the assigned routes to ensure there is no indiscriminate parking.

“We have a lot of bands that are going to be passing through the city.

I have already ensured the NCC (National Carnival Commission) that we will wreck any vehicles along the route to allow the bands to pass very easily.

“However, the bands must tell us the routes they are taking and, in turn, we will make sure that parking is not done along those routes. Citizens will be able to park on the side streets.

In some instances we may allow double parking depending on the amount of parking that is available.” He said he hopes every citizen would be happy and enjoy the Carnival season.

Martinez also said a task force has been set up to address the issue of street dwellers.

“These (homeless) people are vulnerable…

but we have to implement rules and make sure they are taken off the streets. We have to take care of all of them.

Yesterday, I met with the Social Development Ministry, Ministry of National Security, Ministry of Local Government, Ministry of Health. We have invited the business community to guide us, because they are the ones who are affected by the street dwellers. We want to be able to bring people back into the city, and be comfortable.” He said once all the stakeholders were involved, they could come up with an appropriate solution for the problem.

Martinez said if they could rehabilitate one person back into society, citizens would feel they have started to make some inroads into the real growth and development of the nation’s human capital.

Aside from the fact that standard procedure requires the intervention of US officials in any case involving the murder or kidnapping of one of their citizens, the view of the man in the street is that local authorities are far behind their American counterparts when it comes to crime-solving and prevention. As such, many will welcome any form of intervention.

Such intervention is a sad reminder of the need for local authorities to get their act in order.

The timing of the report of possible collaboration has been ironic. The comments of former US Navy Petty Officer Malcolm Nance have done untold damage to this country’s reputation. The comments, made on Saturday, were to the effect that TT was among a group of countries which had more terrorists than seven predominantly Muslim countries, whose citizens have been banned by US President Donald Trump from entering the United States.

In a response issued about two days later, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley described the statements as “broad and simplistic,” saying they ignored “the robust and substantial national security cooperative partnership between TT and the United States.” Indeed, the longstanding cooperation between US officials and locals on a range of matters from terrorism, murder probes, extradition and even taxation issues speaks volumes about the relationship between both countries.

However, the deeper basis of this cooperation is the clear need on this part of our country for help from its bigger, more competent brother. In a way, that itself is cause of concern.

There needs to be more emphasis on building capacity and leadership.

To some extent, that project has been underway for some time. From the million-dollar Mastrofski Report to more recent ventures such as the visit paid by former New York police commissioner William “Bill” Joseph Bratton under the last administration.

Taxpayers, however, have long grown impatient of high-profile “plans” involving foreign experts, dismayed by the seeming march of crime over time, despite some substantial headway in certain areas.

And it is not only Uncle Sam that has been lending a helping hand.

The British High Commission has been involved in seeking a firm to carry out a much-needed manpower audit of the Police Service. The idea is that to build capacity, you first have to take stock of what you have, what your needs are and then what are the additional requirements in order to meet those needs.

The British have also been involved in moves to reform the criminal justice system, notably to introduce the video-taping of interviews. There have also been longstanding synergies between various entities, such as the now disbanded Special Anti-Crime Unit of Trinidad and Tobago.

This degree of foreign involvement poses many benefits given the obvious gap in capacity. However, the fallout is inefficiencies relating to a lack of understanding of local conditions and nuances.

This is where local officials play a key role.

However, our foreign partners have also noted the high levels of police corruption, a key impediment to successful navigation of the choppy crime waters.

We hope that the latest instance of collaboration will not be the last under the new US political landscape.

It is in the interest of foreign partners to continue to stoke the development thrust. In a global world, terrorism is just one reason why their security in many ways depends on ours.

Equally, it is also in our interest to work much harder at improving our lot

On my visits to the US, I know it is inadvisable to visit a home when there is a big football game in progress. Many Trinis resident there for a long time are hooked on the game and have their favourite football team. As for myself, I do not understand the game, so I decided to seek information.

Football in the US is a big money- making activity, with the Dallas Cowboys being worth US$4 billion — the world’s richest club.

The four highest earners in the National Football League are Drew Brees — US$31.2 million, Andrew Luck — US$30 million, Olivier Vernon — US$29 million, and Joe Flacco — US$29 million.

For comparison the four highest earners in the National Basketball Association are LeBron James — US$30.9 million, Mike Conley — US$26.5 million, Al Horford — US$26.5 million, Dirk Nowitzki — US$25 million (ESPN). The NBA is the highest paying professional sports league in the world with 58 players making more than US$15 million and 433 players making more than US$1 million this season (CNN).

It is estimated that James will earn salary and endorsements worth US$77 million next year.

He has a net worth of US$340 million (Forbes).

In 2016 the highest earning soccer players were Cristiano Ronaldo — US$53 million, Lionel Messi — US$57 million, Zlaton Ibrahimovic — US$37 million, Neymar Jr — US$36 million. Last December, Ronaldo refused an offer of US$100 million to play in China for one year.

NFL revenue for 2015 was US$13 billion to which TV rights contributed US$3 billion. Major League Baseball revenue was US$9.5 billion, Premier League football in the UK, US$5.3 billion, and the NBA, US$4.8 billion.

There is an average of 68,000 spectators at a football game with a total of approximately 17 million spectators for the season.

The average attendance at a Dallas Cowboys home game is 88,500 spectators. In 2015 the average ticket price was US$86 with the highest ticket price at US$123.

The average attendance at an MLB game is 30,800 while at an NBA game it is 17,000, depending on the capacity of the venue.

But with all this money circulating there is one significant negative aspect to the game of American football. It is the injuries suffered by the players which are not normally highlighted.

Forty percent of former NFL players suffer from traumatic brain injury.

The results of a study presented at a meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in April 2016 offered conclusive evidence of a definitive link between brain injury and playing football.

This is not the first study of its kind. Last year Frontline reported that researchers with the Department of Veterans Affairs and Boston University found chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which the Mayo Clinic defines as “brain degeneration likely caused by repeated head traumas, a diagnosis made only at autopsy,” in 96 percent of the NFL players they examined and in 79 percent of football players at various levels of play.

The researchers studied 165 deceased people who had played the sport in high school, college or professionally, and found evidence of CTE in 131 of them.

This study is one of the largest studies to date in living retired NFL players and the first to demonstrate significant objective evidence for traumatic brain injury in these former players.

Is it going to be the continuing risk of traumatic brain injury to football players or will it be the money? An impor t – ant decision for Amer i – can parents.

Responding to questions from Independent Senator Paul Richards on TT nationals leaving for other countries to engage in terrorist activities, during yesterday’s sitting of the Senate, Dillon said, “In terms of intelligence and information gathering, people would leave (TT) sometimes on a destination not mentioned.” For example, he said, they would leave TT for England and end up in Syria. “So their intended destination is not known to us. Therefore, we rely on international partners to give us the kind of information and intelligence that they (Trinis) are in a terrorist country,” he said.

Asked whether the statement by US terrorism expert Malcolm Nance, aired on American cable station MSNBC that Trinidad has more terrorists than seven countries temporarily banned from entering by US President Donald Trump, Dillon said he was unable to speak on the correctness of Nance’s statement, “for the mere reason that we do not have information on the seven countries he has compared (TT) with.” Nevertheless, he said, Government works close with international partners especially the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom in strategic areas such as intelligence and information sharing concerning nationals found to be associated with any terrorist group whether locally or internationally.

According to reports, officers from Princes Town CID, acting on information, went to Loney Road in Princes Town on Monday night where they observed a car parked on the roadside. As police approached, the driver attempted to speed off but was pursued by the officers and intercepted a short distance away.

As the vehicle came to a halt, the front seat passenger attempted to escape with a bag but was cornered by police. The driver, a member of the TT Defence Force and the male passenger, both in their early 20s, are from Lengua Road in Princes Town. Police later searched the bag and found a pistol, 140 rounds of assorted ammunition and two extended magazines.

The passenger, police said, was recently released on a murder charge and has several other matters pending in the courts for possession of arms and ammunition.

Supt Pragg, ASP Ali, Insp Don Gajadhar, Sgt Ramlogan and other officers were involved in the exercise. The two are expected to be placed on ID parades before being charged.

Sookhai, in a media release, said his chamber is extremely concerned about the licks TT’s international image is receiving as a place to do business, the birthplace of steelpan and the home of Carnival.

“Instead, we have recently found our country labelled by a US counter-terrorism expert as having more terrorists than the seven predominantly Muslim countries whose citizens have been banned by US President Donald Trump from entering the United States,” the release stated.

He said while TT is grappling with the negative stigma of terrorism, the behaviour of citizens is not helping TT’s image.

Referring to videos of women fighting like wild animals at Piarco International Airport and at the Boardwalk in Chaguaramas, Sookhai said, “At a time when we look towards tourism as an avenue for diversification of the economy, with such displays, foreigners would think twice about visiting our shores as a leisure destination.” Sookhai also lamented the tardy response by the Airport’s security personnel saying this fight could have been a precursor to testing the readiness of the security forces.

“A fight in an airport or in high-traffic and high-tourist areas should never be taken lightly. In these times of terrorist activities there are too many ways to distract from plots afoot or to test the capabilities of our security forces,” he stated, adding the response was, “seemingly slow and lacking in commitment to ending the fight.” This does not auger well for either local or foreign investment in our country, the release stated, nor for the tourist dollars that we keep hoping will flow into the country and help diversify the country away from its dependency on oil and gas.

“Are we setting ourselves up for being the laughing stock of the world,” he asked rhetorically in the release.

“(These videos) sends the message that this is a country where so-called ‘wajang’ behaviour reigns supreme and where safety and security are not of the highest priority.” Sookhai observed that while those persons involved in the airport fight have been given community service to greet tourists at the airport, he pointed out they should be sent for anger management counselling and proper protocol training before being “unleashed” on poor, unsuspecting incoming tourists.

He also suggested the Police Service set up a “confidential video and audio data bank” where anonymous persons can send their videos showing criminals in the act.

It is unusual for someone to be buried under Muslim rites after dark, but one relative who declined to be named, said since Thomas had died last week Thursday, they tried their best to lay her to rest in accordance to the family’s wishes.

Muslims try to bury their dead as soon as possible after death and it is not unusual for a deceased to be buried within 24 hours. The main steps involved are washing the body, shrouding it, saying the funeral prayer and then burial.

Thomas’ body was shrouded in white cloth and laid out in a simple white casket. Salāt al-Janāzah, the Islamic funeral prayer, was said by Imam Muhammad Naushad Ali. Because of a delay in Thomas’ body being autopsied on Monday, the body was only released to the family after sunset.

Thomas’ body was one of 15 at the centre awaiting autopsy on Monday.

Last week Thursday, in the evening, Thomas was shot dead. Her body was found with the hands bound and a single bullet wound to the side of her head in bushes near her Calvary Hill, Arima home the following day.

The body was discovered by her mother Cindy Cipriani and a friend. Carlyle Hamilton, 33, was found hours before Thomas’ body was found.

He was shot several times and remains warded at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex (EW MSC) in Mt Hope. While Cipriani said her daughter was not married to Hamilton, several members of the Al-Jabbal Mosque insist the two were married under the Nikah law for about two years.

Thomas converted to Islam about the same time she met Hamilton.

Cipriani said she had “no problem” with her daughter seeing an older man, as he never shown her any disrespect.

She said her daughter had broken off the relationship when she found out Hamilton was in another relationship and also had children, but would meet him whenever he visited the area

Justice Malcolm Holdip sentenced Anand Boodram, 37, of Poui Trace, to death for the murder on December 26 of Brian Maharaj, also 36, of Poui Trace. Boodram had been on trial before the judge and a jury of 12 members for the murder, in which Maharaj, also a cattle farmer, was shot in the chest. The men, who were friends, lived close to each other.

Prosecuting the case, senior state attorneys Shabanna Shah and Stacy Lallo Chong called witnesses who were fellow villagers of both the accused, Boodram and Maharaj.

The State led evidence that at about 4 pm on that Boxing Day, Boodram drove to Maharaj’s home and called out to him.

When there was no repsonse, the judge and jury were told, Boodram returned to Maharaj’s home about an hour and a half later and when he saw Maharaj in front of his (Maharaj’s) house, he shouted, “Bring back meh thing for meh.” State witnesses testified that they were liming under Maharaj’s house when, shortly after 5 pm, they heard an explosion. State attorney Shah told the jury that when an explosion was heard, his friends and fellow villagers heard Maharaj let out a stifled and painful sound which sounded like, “Ouch!” Maharaj then stumbled and fell to the ground and died from a gunshot wound to the chest.

One of the state witnesses testified that when he looked around, he saw the accused at the back of the house making his way into the bush, holding a long object with a wooden handle which resembled a gun. Justice Holdip and the jury were told that Boodram hid in a camp in a bushy area along Poui Trace but his uncle, Carl Boodram, went into the bush and fetched him. Boodram was taken to the Moruga Police Station, where he gave himself up.

Attorney El Farouk Hosein defended Boodram and a statement which he had given to the police was tendered and read to the jury. It stated Maharaj had attacked him on his cattle farm and during the scuffle, the gun with which Maharaj had confronted him went off and the latter was shot in the chest. The judge sent the jury in at 1.30 pm to deliberate on a verdict after he had summed up the case. They returned at 3 pm for further directions. They then retired for 30 minutes and the foreman announced that Boodram was guilty as charged. Holdip then sentenced Boodram to hang.

Residents at the scene of the accident identified the victim as Robert “Watchie” Khanai of Princes Town, who is said to be in his 60s. He is employed as a watchman at a construction site at Dwarika Avenue, Debe, where he often stayed.

Eyewitnesses told Newsday that at about 11.30 am the truck driver was proceeding east along Debe Trace while Khanai was riding in the opposite direction. On reaching the vicinity of Dwarika Avenue, Khanai collided with the truck.

“This road is very narrow road here and there is no pavement. One minute the truck was heading up the road and the man was heading down. Next thing happened, he on the ground bleeding and the driver stopped a short distance away,” said an eyewitness.

Several motorists exited their vehicle and rushed to Khanai’s assitance as he lay on the roadside.

EHS personnel responded and took Khanai to the San Fernando General Hospital where he was receiving medical treatment.

Investigations are continuing