We hold no brief for any of the parties involved in Thursday’s events. The circumstances of the death of Mitchell must be properly investigated by law enforcement authorities and by the independent Police Complaints Authority. All witnesses to the event should come forward. The relatives of the deceased should also consider all their legal options.

At the same time, the threats issued to the police officers on the scene cannot be condoned. They constitute offences in their own right and should result in charges being laid.

We do not deny that the Police Service has questions to answer.

The problem of rogue police officers, police corruption and the lack of accountability for the infamous day of “Total Policing” are serious clouds hanging over the men and women in blue.

That said, it cannot be assumed that all of the apples in the barrel are spoiled. Indeed, it is far more plausible that the majority of officers are simply hard working officers called to battle a crime spiral that has long gone out of control.

We hope the latest incident does not stoke tensions further in Enterprise or result in any form of escalation of violence and criminality there.

Meanwhile, the State must tell us why it is yet to implement long-promised reforms such as the use of body cameras. Also, what is the position of the Executive on the call by the PCA to have more powers, including the power to initiate criminal proceedings against police officers accused of misconduct? The Police Service also has questions to answer in terms of its own management, particularly in relation to how it engages with the public.

In terms of the latest police shooting, it matters not whether the victim was an angel or a devil – the matter must be probed.

Extra-judicial killings cannot be condoned in a society with respect for law and order.

If it is found that officers simply took things into their own hands in relation to a menace, we condemn this.

A senior officer speaking to Newsday said officers were praised by members of the Crown Trace community who were on their way to work Thursday morning. He said: “People in Crown Trace going to work this morning and, under their breath when they are passing, they praising the police for what they did. They watching on the ground, they are afraid to watch you in your face because if someone only see them talking to the police, they could end up as victims.” But praise from weary members of the community cannot be the basis on which law enforcement officers seek to justify the use of force, particularly lethal force.

Officers effectively impose mob rule when they abandon all of the lawful avenues open to them to deal with crime.

In this instance, we note a firearm was involved, itself raising further troubling questions such as how weapons continue to be bought and sold in an illegal black market on our streets. It is axiomatic that officers would have had to prepare themselves for a confrontation, yet the mode of engagement must be questioned.

Even when persons are armed, the police should disarm, not kill.

Just as the death of Mitchell should be probed as a serious matter, so too must the threats against our officers. Tempers should also be calmed at Enterprise.

Let good sense prevail.

As in every field, there are good artists and then there are the brilliant ones. That is, the ones who transform our reality simply because they exist. Andre Tanker, Sade, Bob Marley, Michael Jackson, Shah Rukh Khan, Minshall, Sparrow, Rudder, Miles Davis, Astor Johnson … are just some of the names. Of course, the list from music, film and theatre is endless, stretching as far back as the early 1900s with performers such as African American Josephine Baker who used her sensuality to shatter traditional notions about women at that time.

But we had this discussion because of the seemingly growing culture in TT of being a star, how it is affecting our own creative process and negatively influencing younger artists. A star is described by one author as an individual who has attained “considerable prominence and success in their field and whose earnings … are significantly greater than the earnings of their competitors”. This then is the goal of many artists, to attain that level of stardom. It is a desire that has infiltrated the artistic world for a long time; for instance, many of the early Hollywood films portrayed agents who would promise unsuspecting actors that they would ‘make them a star’, only for the entire deal to go sour as the individual is exploited financially, sexually or in some other manner.

Stardom is desirable, but there are problems with it. Recent studies on the phenomenon have shown the extent to which ‘stars’ are manufactured, created to be ‘consumed’ by various target markets. Richard de Cordova notes that the term ‘star’ was first used around 1914 in relation to American cinema. For him the star is really “an economic product of a profit driven system”, fuelled by the desire of the audience to see more of what it enjoys. Importantly, the ‘star’ is the result of a carefully managed image, not necessarily the true person.

The desire for stardom affects us here at home in a numerous ways. Typically, the biggest offenders seem to believe that they need to be involved in as many productions as possible, which is apparently a sign of their ability to manage multiple roles and therefore their own skill as an artist. What inevitably happens is that because they give a small amount of time to any one artistic venture, there is never really an opportunity to truly explore the depths of the performance, be it as a character in theatre or film or as a musician, dancer or singer.

Then there is the chronic lateness in the industry. This is part of the fall-out from the first problem.

It is not possible to be on time, and remain focused if you are juggling several artistic commitments, traffic, work family life and more. But perhaps worse of all, is the phenomenon of the brilliant performer who believes that it is acceptable to avoid the rehearsal process and only appear just before the show. More than insulting the producers of the event, and possible even breaking ones’ contract, it disrespects the other performers who make sacrifices to be there. It says to everyone else that they are not as important and diminishes their efforts.

The man behind the curtain in the Wizard of Oz has become a metaphor for the contradiction between the truth and what we are led to believe is real. Stardom has largely been revealed as an illusion; artists therefore need to figure out very early in their careers, on which side of the curtain they choose to perform.

Dara Healy is a performance a r t i s t a n d founder of the N G O , the Ind i g e – n o u s Creative A r t s Network – ICAN.

Dr Rowley made this known during an address at the opening of the newly constructed St Joseph Police Station adding that government has approached the British to conduct the audit.

“We now know that there is not a shortage of police officers on the ground,” said the Prime Minister. “One of the things that is required is a proper and comprehensive across the board assessment of what is our policing manpower, how we have deployed them and how we can re-deploy them under the current circumstances to get the best result.” Rowley explained that during his time as Opposition Leader he sent Fitzgerald Hinds to a place which had a similar population and similar size to Trinidad and Tobago, to see how they handled their policing and if anything could be learnt from their practices.

One of the most important things that was learnt from the trip was that there was considerably less police officers in Fairfax, as compared to the number in Trinidad and Tobago.

In fact it was discovered that Trinidad and Tobago held far more police officers per hundred thousand citizens than the international standard.

It was because of these discoveries that the Prime Minister approached the British to conduct the audit.

“Every family that loses an individual either to a criminal act or to an act by the police is now exposed to pain and anguish and suffering but the response cannot be – and I would like to say this to the Enterprise community – the response cannot be retribution and a call to kill police and their families, so that they too can share pain and loss. When we get to that stage we are now entering the fringe of the jungle.” The Prime Minister made the statement during his feature address at the opening ceremony of the new St Joseph Police Station yesterday, which was held at about 10 am. Rowley made it clear that threats and violent action against the police would not be condoned and highlighted the importance of the role that police officers held in any society. “I know that there is a whole lot to criticise the police for but we have to accept that it is a very dangerous job,” Rowley said.

He added, “it is an awesome responsibility to be in and apprehend the citizenry and also to conclude that you are in danger and still execute your duty.” Rowley said he was made aware of a new statistic that stated for this year, 20 persons have been killed by police, but noted it should be paralleled by the number of police officers who have been shot or attacked by criminal elements. “When we look at those two statistics you get a clear vision of what is happening in Trinidad and Tobago,” said Rowley.

“We need to understand that without security and the safety that the police provide, everything that we aspire to will be held in jeopardy.”

This after the Independent Liberal Party (ILP) yesterday filed an application for leave for judicial review of the legitimacy of the UNC’s Adrian Shazar Ali candidacy on the grounds of his address.

Putting on her legal robes, Opposition Leader and UNC political leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar yesterday in the third San Fernando High Court pleaded with Justice Rahim for a prompt decision, arguing that the absence of a decision could be used as a jabbing point for opposing political parties in the last two days of the election campaign.

“These are political considerations,” said Justice Rahim, “my remit does not have those considerations.” The judge said Persad- Bissessar’s argument was based on the assumption that he would rule in her favour and stood his ground to decide tomorrow morning. The application for leave for judicial review was made by ILP Deputy Political Leader Sunil Ramjitsingh acting as the “election agent” of Simeon Mahabir, the ILP candidate for Munroe Road/Caroni Savannah. The review application contends that Ali resides outside of said electoral district.

ILP political leader and attorney Rekha Ramjit told the court that since the law allowed for Ramjitsingh to be sued on Mahabir’s behalf as his election agent, he (Ramjitsingh) could also sue on Mahabir’s behalf, thereby having locus standi (legal right to bring court action). However, another of Ali’s lawyers – Deborah Peake SC, countered that Ramjit offered no evidence that Ramjitsingh was indeed Mahabir’s election agent.

Ramjit said that Section 11 of the Municipal Corporations Act spells out that councillors must reside within the electoral district they are representing.

Justice Rahim interjected, asking, “isn’t it saying the exact opposite?” Rahim said he interprets the law to mean that councillors could represent as long as they live within ten miles outside the boundaries of the municipality.

Ramjit said Ali lives at 69 Mon Plasir Road, Caroni and produced a company’s registration form on which Ali is listed as a Director, as evidence.

This address, Ramjit argued, was contrary to the 41 Clarke Road, Charlieville address declared in Ali’s application to be nominated for the local government election.

Peake countered that the definition of “residing” could mean that a person could possess multiple properties and therefore an address on a company’s registry is insufficient to prove residency.

Added to this, the law places no “duty” on a returning officer to investigate whether the address placed on an application was true. Ramjit also did not provide sufficient evidence that 69 Mon Plasir Road, Caroni fell outside ten miles of the Chaguanas Borough Corporation.

Persad-Bissessar said the Representation of the People Act provided a seven day window prior to nomination day for the legitimacy of candidates to be “scrutinized” by appointed and approved “scrutineers” and a further one hour window after for said nomination to be contested.

Both windows were missed, she said.

Justice Rahim considered this argument and asked, “If it is discovered on the day before an election that the candidate perpetrated fraud against the returning officer, what recourse is there?” To answer this question and to allow time to read and digest all the information, Rahim denied the strong appeals by both Persad- Bissessar and Peake for an immediate decision. He will give a decision and his reasoning orally tomorrow morning in the Port-of-Spain Hall of Justice

He said the consultation will then follow a survey to ensure that the construction phase of meets the requirements of residents.

“The process, hopefully, will not be too long,” Rowley told exuberant supporters, most of whom were huddled under large tents to shelter the heavy rains which fell for the threehour meeting. Rowley said the project, to be funded through an Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) arrangement, will include the work of contractors from the region with the competencies and equipment necessary to bring the highway to completion.

PC Noel Williams, 32, of Jackson Street, Petit Bourg, San Juan, appeared before Deputy Chief Magistrate Nanette Forde-John in the Port-of-Spain Eight Magistrates Court yesterday charged with robbing businessman Wei Hui Zhu of $406,000 cash, an Apple Iphone 7 valued at $7,000, and an air rifle valued at $20,000, and using personal violence against Zhu before robbing him.

Williams was also charged with robbing Jinfu Zhu of an Apple Iphone 6, valued at $6,000 and immediately after the robbery used personal violence against him.

The robbery took place at Zhu’s home at Soledad Road West, Johnson Avenue, Claxton Bay, on November 11. Williams’ court appearance comes a little over a week after Special Reserve Police (SRP) Sean Joseph appeared in the San Fernando Court charged with the same offences.

Prosecutor Insp Winston Dillion did not object to bail being granted, although he did ask for conditions to be attached.

Williams has been ordered to surrender his passport and report to the same station where his co– accused was assigned, the San Juan Sub Station, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday between the hours of 6 am to 7 pm.

His bail is to be approved by a Clerk of the Peace III.

Williams has also been prohibited from making any form of contact with the alleged victims.

Joseph had also been granted $250,000 bail but remained on remand up to yesterday as he was yet to access bail.

In its latest monetary policy announcement report that was released yesterday, the Bank said the Central Statistical Office’s (CSO) Index of Retail Prices showed that headline inflation slowed slightly to three percent on a year-on-year basis in September from 3.1 percent in August.

Core inflation, which excludes food prices, edged upwards to 2.3 percent in September from 2.2 percent in August. Faster price increases within the health and clothing and footwear sub-indices led the pick up in core inflation.

Food inflation slowed to 6.2 percent by September compared to 7.2 percent in August. After falling in October, liquidity in the financial system rose slightly in November with commercial banks’ excess reserves averaging $3.4 billion daily during the period November 1 to 21, 2016.

The Bank removed $725 million from the system through open market operations. The Bank’s sales of foreign exchange to authorised dealers indirectly extracted roughly $500 million. The latest labour information from the CSO put the country’s unemployment rate at 4.4 percent during the second quarter of 2016 compared with 3.2 percent in the corresponding quarter of 2015. Against this backdrop, the Bank’s monetary policy committee took note of the overall economic conditions, weak inflationary pressures, the current and anticipated trajectory of external interest rates.

Delivering his maiden address on a PNM platform in Sangre Grande on Friday night, Sinanan told supporters that the UNC has already chosen its candidate for the election in the person of Ramdeen.

“Ladies and gentlemen, watch closely because, from where I am sitting, they have already sent their representative in 2020. He is a fellow senator of mine, Mr Gerald Ramdeen,” he told the party’s faithful.

“Those of you who have been driving around Sangre Grande you will see everyday that Mr Ramdeen is in Sangre Grande. You will see him testing the grounds.” Sinanan urged residents to reject the move by first voting against the UNC in Monday’s Local Government election.

“So, if you want to send a message to them that you don’t want Mr Ramdeen in Grande, you know what you have to do on the 28th (November),” he said.

But, in an immediate response, Ramdeen did not deny or confirm he was being considered for the seat.

Instead, he told Newsday, “I have been elected by the political leader of the UNC to be part of a team that is responsible for delivering the Sangre Grande Corporation back to the UNC. That is my goal at the moment, which is to serve the people of Sangre Grande and Trinidad and Tobago in whatever capacity my political leader chooses to place me.” Ramdeen added: “I am confident that despite all that Mr Sinanan has done to retain the Sangre Grande Corporation from the PNM that Sangre Grande will be returned to the UNC on Monday.” Sinanan, who is also the works minister and PNM deputy political leader, had raised the issue of Ramdeen’s consideration as he slammed the UNC’s tradition of selecting candidates for the Toco/Sangre Grande and Cumuto/Manzanilla constituencies who did not have roots in the region.

“Sangre Grande needs proper representation and the PNM has always put candidates with roots from the area,” he said.

“We have confidence in the people of Toco/ Sangre Grande and Cumuto/ Manzanilla,” he said.

“Compare that to the UNC, Krish Jurai, Christine Newallo-Hosein, Rupert Griffith or Brent Sancho. Ladies and gentlemen, they have never seen it fit to send a representative from Cumuto/Manzanilla.” Urging supporters to support all eight of the PNM’s candidates for the corporation, Sinanan assured there would be transparency on office.

“It is a clear and clandestine disinformation that has been undertaken to wreck the COP and its candidates.

They are walking around and telling people, house to house, do not vote for the COP members because they have given the seats to the UNC.

This is a patent lie,” COP’s political leader Dr. Anirudh Mahabir announced yesterday.

He made the announcement during a press conference held at the headquarters of the party located at Operation’s Centre, Charlieville, Chaguanas.

Mahabir said that “reliable information” of this “major threat” came to light as of Thursday night with the most complaints from the Tunapuna- Piarco municipality.

Of the 14 Municipalities, the COP has a total of nine candidates from four Corporations.

Six are contesting seats in the Tunapuna/ Piarco Regional Corporation, one in the San Fernando City Corporation and one each in the San Juan- Laventille and Siparia Regional Corporations.

The political leader yesterday noted that the COP believes that such a rumour, geared at benefiting “another party”, is an act of vandalism.

He added that in his mind, it borders on illegality.

The COP was among four political parties which formed the previous Peoples’ Partnership coalition government headed by the UNC’s Political Leader, Kamla Persad- Bissessar.

Yesterday at the press conference Mahabir insisted that the COP is an independent party, fighting this election on its own and thus is not associated with any other political party.

“We know that the UNC is in great fear of losing this elections.

But there is a line beyond which you do not cross, and we in the COP will always remain above that line…

We are in this election not because we hate the UNC, not because we hate the PNM but because think that the COP can make a difference in the politics of T&T,” Mahabir said.

Mahabir said that all voters should be given an honest effort to be able to vote for who they want to vote for.

The political leader charged that in 2007 “at about 10 pm on the eve of the General Elections”, public announcements were being made that the COP had given up. That, he said, was also a lie simply to sway voters not to vote for the COP.

Mahabir called on supporters to vote for their respective COP candidate adding that “people are fed-up with the PNM”. He promised that over the weekend, the COP will be in the districts in which there are candidates.

The party is convinced that come Monday night, it will “come home with several seats”.

Also present at the conference yesterday were Deputy Political Leaders, Dr Sharon-Ann Gopaul- McNicol and Clyde Weatherhead together with chairman Jamieson Bahadur, among others.