At 5 am yesterday, a team of officers of the Southern Division led by Insp Don Gajadhar went into the Oropouche area where they recovered Joseph’s Nissan Tiida, which police said, had been abandoned. According to reports, just after midnight on Friday, Cpl Khan and along with other officers of the Court and Process Branch, San Fernando were conducting exercises in the district when upon reaching Dumfries Road, they observed a body on the roadside.

The body which was clad in a brown t-shirt, a brown three quarter pants and a pair of slippers bore multiple gunshot wounds to the head.

Supt Gaffar, Insp Gajadhar, Sgt Ramlogan, PC Morris and Cpl Francis of the Homicide Bureau along with the District Medical Officer (DMO) visited the scene. An autopsy is expected to be done today. In an unrelated incident on Thursday, police reported that at 4.30 pm the skeletal remains of a human were found in some bushes at M2 Ring Road, Debe. A skull was among the remains which are also yet to be identified.

Homicide officers are investigating

Police dogs, that is.

National Security Minister Edmund Dillon yesterday confirmed that dogs from the Police K9 Unit will, under control of their handlers, mingle in and among revellers during Carnival to detect illegal drugs and also aid in maintaining law and order. Dillon said this is the first time that K9 dogs will play a major role as part of a package of anti-crime measures to be implemented during the ongoing Carnival Season.

Dogs and their handlers will be out and about during J’ouvert celebrations as well as in areas where there is a heavy concentration of revellers and mas related activities. TT Police Service Gold Commander for Carnival 2017, Deputy Commissioner of Police Deodath Dulalchan will hold a press conference today, Newsday was told, to inform the nation via the media of the rollout of anti-crime measures for Carnival 2017.

The man who remained unidentified up to late yesterday, was one of two persons shot in separate incidents by officers of the Southern Division. In the first incident, at 2.45 am, Ste Madeleine police responded to a report of a break in at the Fujian Supermarket, Manahambre Road, Ste Madeleine.

On arrival, the officers were confronted by two men one who opened fire on them. Fearing for their lives, the officers returned fire, hitting one of the bandits. The injured man was rushed to the San Fernando General Hospital where he died. Police said his accomplice managed to escape. Just after midday, officers again had to rush to the scene of another police involved shooting, this time at Pond Street, La Romaine. A rape/robbery suspect was armed with a cutlass when he was shot and wounded, a police report stated. He remains warded in serious condition at San Fernando General Hospital under police guard.

In the Secondary Schools Category, St Francois Girls’ College shot to first place earning 277 points with their rendition of Edwin ‘Crazy’ Ayoung’s ‘Gee Gee Ree’, drawing overwhelming applause from both spectators and judges alike, making this the College’s sixth victory in the secondary school’s category of the competition.

School pan arranger Peter Aleong, who said that this victory was a culmination of hard work, sacrifice and undying support from the part of students, parents and teachers. Principal Jennifer Gittens said that she was thoroughly satisfied with the girls’ performance and lauded the arrangers and collaborating teachers who together with performers made this victory possible.

“There really is no better feeling that this sense of accomplishment, I know all of the girls put their hearts and souls into this particular performance and sacrificed time into perfecting their skill at all hours of the day. Parents also provided invaluable support in ensuring that the students give their all for this moment. I’m very proud.” Not far behind, Trinity College East secured second place with 266 points from a spirited performance of Rodney ‘Benjai’ LeBlanc’s ‘Come Out to Play’, which earned them uproarious cheers from the crowd, while defending champs St Joseph’s Convent, St Joseph fell to third place with a score of 259 points.

The duo of Providence Girl’s Catholic School and Queen’s Royal College followed close behind with 255 points at fourth place with a moving performance of Kees Diefenthaller’s ‘My People’.

Despite a spirited attempt, the joint efforts of St. Mary’s College and St. Joseph’s Convent Port-of- Spain failed to impress judges and fell to fifth place with 251 points.

Earlier that day, in the Primary School’s category, St Margaret’s Boys’ Anglican School Steel Orchestra stole the show securing their first place spot with 277 points with their rendition of ‘Different Me’. Another Saint, St Paul’s Anglican School copped second place with 274 points with a lively rendition of Bally’s ‘Party Time Again’ and St Mary’s Government delivered a moving interpretation of David Rudder’s ‘Ganges meets the Nile’, for third.

St Mary’s Government School Principal Feroze Khan said that while he was disappointed that the students did not manage to finish first, he was thoroughly satisfied with their perfrmance adding that the message behind the performance transcends any award or competition.

“The song selected was really meant to bring our student population together through music and even though we did not come first or second I think we all left here winners as we can show that despite racial boundaries we can still get together and have a good time.”

Addressing the ‘Every Caribbean Woman, Every Caribbean Child’ Forum of Caribbean First Ladies, Spouses of Heads of State and Government, Georgetown, Guyana on Thursday, Carmona said that as part of the Caribbean thrust to get it right, the wives must not feel or experience a sense of isolation when addressing challenging social and human issues in the region.

“We must all collectively be part of that vanguard movement to ensure overall human development in our various countries by working at providing implementable solutions to the growing social and human problems in the region,” she said.

Noting that the forum seeks to address major challenges facing women, children and adolescents, she said they include cervical cancer, prevention of motherto- child HIV transmission, human trafficking, non-communicable diseases (NCDs), violence against women and child marriage.

On child marriage, she reiterated that little girls must be afforded the opportunity to grow “and to realise their full potential with unstinting guidance and support from parents and the society at large.” Child marriage is an anachronism, she said, “that absolutely bears no relevance to a progressive holistic society.” Recalling that her grandmother was a 13-year-old bride who never realised her ambition of becoming a teacher, she said, “I do not want this to ever happen again to an innocent child of 13 years.” There must be no disparity of treatment in a society that aspires to be just, she said adding that, “Affirmative legislative action must be invoked regionally in keeping with the dictates of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.” On teenage pregnancy, she said, Caribbean society is now encountering various anti-social trends in reality television, social media, and camera phones, where promiscuous sexual practices and irresponsible behaviour were being promoted and leading to breakdown in values among youth.

Noting that parents can no longer simply hope for the best, and leave it up to teachers in schools or the church, she said, “Parents must be vigilant to ensure that their teenage girls do not fall prey to the roaming predators that exist in cyber space.

The battle is sometimes not only one grounded in poverty but rather, it has become a battle of the minds, and for the minds, of our teenagers.” Dealing with the problems of adolescent pregnancy, she said, “We need to target the poverty-stricken communities, educate entire families and young people on the benefits of abstinence and even birth control.” Community social work programmes must be devised to identify at-risk children from as early as birth, she said, to prevent all forms of social deviance and sexual abuse in socially challenging communities

In April 2016, the Government gave notice that the landfills of Guanapo, Beetham and Forres Park would be phased out from 2017. Yet, according to current news, they are still awaiting reports before implementing any closure of landfills.

What has happened with the plans for possible recycling, and reuse of the 1,500 tonnes of waste that reportedly goes into these dumps on a daily basis? As a nation Trinidad and Tobago is exceptionally lax in its attitude to the environment. There is apparently little awareness of the need to limit pollution. In particular the effects of the built environment and waste on waterways are really not given adequate public airing other than in crisis situations. Few take notice of the knock-on effect of poor planning and of the flow of waste from landfill to rivers and of course the effects of deforestation on the island.

We have yet to see a campaign to prevent the release of plastic bags and containers into the sea, even though we are all aware that our much cherished turtles are most at risk from this form of human pollution.

But these are only some of the ways in which as a nation we remain lackadaisical about the value of our world.

There is little sense of the need to ration our use of plastics, for example, or the need to dispose of them both safely and responsibly. Garbage in our affluent nation is simply dumped.

Our use of plastic bags is exorbitant, though there have been recent calls for the introduction of a tax on these at supermarkets. Why not just bring your market bag to the grocery? Of course there would have to be a shift in the scurrilous attitude to customers in most supermarkets in order to allow this to happen.

Just think how much it would cost to check every bag as it leaves the grocery shop in our suspicion-ridden island. Yet in so-called developed countries customers do bring their own shopping bags and are charged if they require a plastic bag from the teller.

And while it may appear impossible, this might go some way in reinstating that trust that once existed between the proprietor and the customer.

It might even help in restoring some degree of self-esteem to the citizen at large.

I do not know whether there are recycling plants in Trinidad and Tobago.

But I do know that there is a lot of waste and that there is no attempt to separate recyclable products from non-recyclables in our daily garbage disposal. Yet much of what we consider to be waste in this consumer- oriented world that we inhabit can be reused.

Paper and cardboard, of which there is a great deal, is one example.

But for most people the solution is to call for a limit on the use of paper and so become a paper-free nation — yet even as we post everything by email or through the Internet, our use of paper products increases.

We are assailed by packaging designed to entice us to purchase what we do not need. Packaging is there simply to inveigle us into entering the spirit of retail therapy or is designed to encourage us to buy unwanted products to allay our boredom or depression. We have learnt to replace relationships with things and the more beautifully these things appear on the outside the more alluring they become.

Think back over Christmas and the mountains of paper and packaging that remained at the end of the holidays. Look at any kitchen or bathroom and the number of empty or half-empty plastic containers is alarming. Our homes and work areas are crammed with plastics and aluminium products, most of which end up in landfills.

Yet, the world and its resources are not unlimited — nor are oil and gas.

Maybe there will be no world for our children to inherit as politicians increase their crazy rhetoric and the cry for “more” grows even more strident. But for those of us who live close to water, whether sea or river, and who value trees and who see the importance of forests as they protect our land from flooding and slippage, it remains important that we monitor how as humans we treat this Earth.

As Carnival approaches and the piles of tins, packages and bottles build up, just as we have cleared the dumps of Christmas garbage, perhaps some wise and enterprising mayor or councillor will have the common sense and foresight to place recycle bins in strategic spots throughout our cities and towns and perhaps even consider levying a fine on those who cannot be bothered to sort their rubbish. It may be worth it in the long run. After all, Trinidad remains a key rain forest region and a place where eco-tourism should be a top priority. But that cannot and will not happen until every child and adult assumes responsibility for protecting the environment. This is not just about water then, though ensuring that rivers remain free of pollution is vital. What is needed is an entire mind shift that focuses the attention of the n a t i o n on our respons i bi l i ty as cons ume r s and as keepers of the Earth.

It has caused me to pick back up my pen. What is significant in this particular scenario is the fact that the gunmen showed absolutely no regard or respect for the police as, according to the report, the shooting took place a mere 200 metres from the police station and the gunmen were actually firing shots at the station, causing police to be running for cover.

It should be noted that the shooters were not on foot. They arrived in two cars and committed their murderous acts from the comfort of their vehicles. This has become the modus operandi of most gunmen. They are the owners of fast cars and most of them have tremendous driving skills.

Having regards to the fact that gunmen seldom emerge from tracks to take out their victims and having regard to the type of sophisticated and high-powered weapons available to them, there should not be a police station operating without a functioning mobile stop-and-search unit whose day-to-day function is to conduct random searches on vehicles specifically for arms, ammunition and explosive devices, with foot patrols conducting similar exercises by day and by night in all areas countrywide, using a three shift-system.

There are motorists who carry illegal weapons who are not yet known to police and this faction of gunmen are permitted to drive though this country’s length and breadth unobstructed and unchallenged by police, with nothing to fear, with nothing to be concerned about, with not a worry in God’s world. They therefore continue their reign of horror and mayhem relentlessly.

Whenever a decision is taken to implement this action-oriented initiative, there will be a significant reduction in firearm-related offences.

When commenced, expansion and an increase in frequencies of its operations are moves that would surely increase its effectiveness as a deterrent and no doubt extend its range of usefulness.

The measure would also serve to protect important structures and their occupants against destructive blasts in ISIS-like fashion. To the concept of modern technology to fight crime, I say “yes”, but the principles of the “old school” under which random searches fall must be retained.

Concerning shootings, what must be regarded by our administrators as the straw that broke the camel’s back is the fact that two men were bold enough to go to a police station armed with guns, firing shots and wounding a police officer on duty.

Those who are in a position to take action on this issue must do so with haste. This horrifying incident must never go down as just another shooting.

A powerful message must be sent as “the waters have been tested.” Less than adequate attention is being paid to career criminals while on bail for gun-related offences. This “bunch” requires constant monitoring as in their desperation to raise the cash needed for legal representation for their pending matters, they would revert to their former customs, they would pick back up their guns, causing pain and suffering to people, necessitating the usual lighting of candles.

The Government of the day and the Opposition must therefore act speedily to do what is expedient to offer some measure of protection to both the business community and the citizenry from this category of criminals.

Talks by eloquent speakers and exhortation by men of the cloth geared to changing the mindset of hardened criminals seldom attain their desired effects. It has been prophesied by inspired authors who have gone before that there would be people among us who would be so engrossed in their evil ways that not even the message of an angel with all its brightness and glory would deter them from their path.

Harsh measures in dealing with this plague must be deployed. Some degree of reasoning too is necessary.

Risks of which people have no control engender changes in human behaviour; therefore risk creation must be a critical element in any plan that is designed to induce a change in behaviour of the lawless.

Passing laws that would make firearm possession an unbailable offence simultaneously with the introduction of the police mobile stop-and-search programme is sure to create terrible risks for this particular group. This double-faceted approach must, by natural instinct, lead one to become concerned for his personal safety as all routes would then be considered unsafe for that sector.

With dedicated policemen operating these units like well-oiled machinery far and wide, the population would be anxious to witness for themselves how many criminals, as hardened as they may be, would be willing to play the game of Russian roulette with their freedom.

Hunters, ballistic experts and gun-repair personnel who are civilians should be warned against venturing into a public place with a firearm or with any firearm part without the relevant documentation.

It is most appropriate that the 90-day bail arrangement for gun possession should be applied to this category of firearm dealers should the occasion arise.

The foregoing pointers may be worthwhile adhering to for the shaping of a safer society.

What will cause a man to physically harm a woman to the point of slitting her throat is the question many have been asking.

Some have called for stiffer penalties in dealing with domestic violence and others are clamouring for the strengthening of laws on restraining orders.

Here are a few things men need to understand in relation to women: * Women are precious and should be treated with respect.

* Women are the ones who carry a child in their womb for nine months and bear the pain in delivering that child.

* A woman is not property you can own.

* She is not a child, so you can’t go about beating her if she says or does something “outer timing”.

* She is not a lesser being.

Men need to practise self-control in dealing with their ego.

Andre Roberts via email

Panatics could argue that only three radio stations play a drip of pan music, and modern-day Panorama arrangements are not banged in your ears incessantly like soca, but it is more than that. Some arrangers are drifting from their moorings and experimenting, thereby cooking a tasteless musical pelau served only to their tribe — with no sweetness.

The memorable arrangements I refer to are the ones that hold you captive like an ISIS prisoner, and you are so enthralled that the music sticks in your mind and no matter how hard you try to forget, it grips you like a bad tabanca — it won’t go away.

Now I have been a pan enthusiast since a boy and have heard many decades of Panorama arrangements. I am no longer loyal to a band but just a supporter of great pan music, especially memorable Panorama arrangements.

The last great memorable Panorama arrangement I’ve heard is Leon “Smooth” Edwards’ It’s Showtime. Since that time I am confused, because a memorable Panorama arrangement must be enjoyed like an ice cream cone. It must have multi layers of sweetness from top to bottom which, after eating, the taste must linger in the mind, not mouth.

It sounds weird, but it is true.

Without trying too hard, I can recall several great Panorama arrangements, some not winning arrangements but all the same memorable.

They all have one thing in common — sweetness: Ken “Professor” Philmore’s Pan By Storm; Earl “Barney” Rodney’s The Wrecker and St Thomas Girl; Lennox “Bobby” Mohammed’s 67; Herschel Puckerin’s Du Du Yemi (Natasha); Ray Holman’s Pan On the Run and Pan Woman; Rudy Wells’ Rainorama; Leon “Smooth” Edwards’ Woman On the Bass and Curry Tabanca; Jit Samaroo’s Four Lara Four; Anthony “Muffman” Williams’ Dan Is the Man; Len “Boogsie” Sharpe’s Pan Rising, 79 Is Mine, Woman Is Boss; Robbie “Sugar Hand” Greenidge’s Musical Volcano and Pan Redemption; Beverly Griffith’s Melda; Carlton “Zanda” Alexander’s Ah Home; Clive Bradley’s Pan In Harmony, Hasely Crawford, Rebecca, High Mas and a slew of others.

Let’s be realistic, it will take a whole page to name all the great memorable Panorama arrangements, so these are just a few.

As we drift towards the finals of Panorama 2017, sweetness must be the weakness of the pan judges, and they won’t go wrong.

Keith Anderson via e-mail

Speaking at a ceremony at the VIP Lounge of the Piarco International Airport, Rose expressed concern that some younger artistes appear not lack creativity in their music, having “just one line” and then a chorus.

“There are too many topics in the world,” she said. Rose said younger artistes need, “to open their cabeza and start creating beautiful music.

She opined, “People open their ears.

“Their ears was shut for a long time but when they hear certain lyrics…their ears open and their eyes open and they jump up.” She recalled this was the effect of her calypso “No Madame” which, “caused the Government of TT to change the laws of the domestic servants in 1974.” Rose said she wrote that calypso, “after listening to the cries of domestic servants.” She said after an Italian journalist wrote an article about that song, then prime minister Dr Eric Williams, “picked up the article and then called in his Cabinet” and changed those laws.

Saying she never studied French and her great grandmother who was from French Guinea only taught her a few words, Rose said she was delighted to see children and old people in France jumping and dancing to “Leave Me Alone” when she sang it in English.

Rose was thrilled to know that former United States president Barack Obama had danced to her calypso. The gathering laughed when she quipped, “I think he was telling (US President) Donald Trump to leave me alone.” Community Development, Culture and the Arts Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby Dolly praised Rose for her achievement. Gadsby Dolly said Rose proved that “gender is not a barrier” and age is just a number. After singing a verse of “Leave Me Alone,” the minister said Government will continue to support Rose in whatever way it could. Gadbsy Dolly said there will be talks with Rose before she leaves the country to honour her commitments.