“Let me extend condolences to the school girl’s family,” Dillon told reporters during a march against crime in his Point Fortin constituency yesterday. “The TTPS is investigating that matter vigorously as we speak. Four murders in Tobago is of concern.

Even one murder in Tobago or in Trinidad concerns me.” Dillon wore a white T-shirt with the print, “War on Crime”, as he joined the People’s National Movement (PNM) Youth League in Point Fortin in its anti- crime march through Techier Village.

He again declared all national security agencies are being used in efforts to arrest crime.

“We will continue to adopt strategies to reduce crime in Trinidad and Tobago and we will continue to employ all agencies to pursue the criminals vigorously,” Dillon said. One day prior to Adams’ death, Tobago hoteliers called on Government to bring crime under control on the island, saying it was one of the factors contributing to fewer tourist arrivals. Asked whether Tobago police was equipped with enough resources to handle the increase in crime, Dillon said, “There is always room for improvement but based on a request from TTPS we will allocate resources. There is no cost to security,” he added. “If they require resources it will be provided, but recommendations must come from the TTPS because they are in the operational environment and they must know what is required to enhance their jobs.” On national crime-fighting, Dillon said the police must make “miserable” the lives of the minority of people “bent on crime” to restore a sense of comfort to citizens because “the fear of crime is worse than crime itself”.

“In other words, pursue them at all costs, all within the law.” Dillon emphasised.

“You will see the operations unit arresting people and getting them in court. There is aggression taking place, a joint army and police patrol in Enterprise to create deterrence to give citizens a sense of comfort.” Dillon said the causes of crime were social and are being tackled head on by initiatives under the Ministry of Sport and the Ministry of Social Development and Family Services.

On Friday a 23-year-old man who had been on the run for five days and was the prime suspect in the murder surrendered to police near Crews Inn, Chaguaramas.

According to police sources investigators could seek instructions from the Director of Public Prosecutions Roger Gaspard by tomorrow.

Stewart spoke on the arrest via his publicist Tenille Clarke, public relations director of Roy Cape All Stars and managing director of Chambers Media Solutions.

Clarke said Stewart is relieved a suspect was apprehended and he is now hoping that justice will run its full course.

“He is grateful for the work the authorities have done to this point. And now this is essentially where the work begins. There is a responsibility and accountability to citizens of Trinidad and Tobago (for the authorities) to do their part as well,” she added.

“We obviously have an issue with criminality in Trinidad and Tobago. Something needs to be done not only on a policy level but as citizens we have a collective responsibility to do the work necessary to remove criminal elements.” She reported that Stewart said crime hit him “on his doorstep” and the issue of violence has started to permeate in everybody’s spaces.

Last Sunday, DeReveneaux, 27, reportedly received a phone call and left her place of work at the Mandiero’s Peri Peri Grill at MovieTowne at about 8.15 pm. Minutes later, after loud screams were heard, she was discovered dead with her throat slit. A passer-by who discovered the body and alerted police was arrested and detained for several hours until CCTV footage showed he was not the person who murdered DeReveneaux.

In a post on their Facebook page, Mandiero’s commended the Police Service “on the level of professionalism and compassion extended to all those involved in the investigation process”.

“So often we are quick to focus on their downfalls but it is important to highlight their positives as well.” In a photo on their Facebook page Mandiero’s described DeReveneaux as an ambitious and hard worker who was friendly to all. They added that she had two jobs and was determined to make herself financially secure through hard work.

“She did not deserve such an unfortunate killing,” they said.

In a previous statement, Stewart described the pain of her loss as “tremendous” and said DeReveneaux was a wonderful and loving aunt to his children.

Yesterday Clarke said Stewart has been supported by Roy Cape All Stars and the wider national community during this difficult period.

“Now he is hoping that a movement can begin where people collectively stand up to what needs to start happening. It is a very difficult kind of situation to deal with especially when you live life in the public domain. He tries to see good out of every challenge,” she added.

Stewart, through Clarke, said it was important for citizens to come together and focus on healing the way forward.

The funeral service for DeReveneaux is scheduled to be held tomorrow at 11 am at St Martin de Porres Catholic Church, Gonzales.

He made the comments while delivering the feature address yesterday at the graduation ceremony for the conflict management/ mediation programme held at the Chamber of Commerce, Westmoorings.

He reported that over the last year and half members of Project Reason, an initiative of the National Security Ministry, have been doing mediation in “the most extreme form” and have interfaced with those highest at risk of being shooters or shooting victims.

He explained these violence interrupters and outreach workers daily dedicate themselves to the process of mediation.

“We would have had individuals who would have spent days basically supporting persons through this anger and hate and all these negative feelings until the situation is calm and the person was no longer on this sort of homicidal path,” he said. Sloane-Seale stressed that this needs to highlighted as people often enquire about what is happening in east Portof- Spain.

He said the joint police and army patrols are necessary and useful and the ministries of sport and youth affairs, community development and social development have been doing their part.

“For us to address the myriad of challenges that we have in our communities, in our homes in Trinidad and Tobago, it would always take a collaborative effort.

No one entity, no one individual, no one agency can solve this issue. But the more residents of Trinidad and Tobago that become familiar and intimate and have within their tool kit tools such as mediation and conflict resolution – we know that we are heading in the right direction,” he said.

“The more persons who can intervene in an impending conflict situation it can only augur well for our future.” He said that people are assaulted when a dog goes into a neighbour’s yard and digs a hole or eats a chicken and this could lead to bodily harm or even death.

The conflict management programme ran for 15 weeks and 46 participants graduated.

Graduate Maurice Matooram from East Dry River described the experience as transformative.

He explained that he had a lot of challenges understanding people, he felt like conflict would “run (him) down” and he would get himself in trouble.

He said after the programme he is now able to come to agreement with himself, his family, friends and enemies. He added he will not let his mediation skills “wither away” and called for the programme to be conducted in communities throughout the country.

Facilitator Suwena Williams-Paul said the wisdom they inherited was not only applicable to their communities but to the inner man.

“Each of us are peacemakers in our own right,” she added.

She called on them to “infect” their communities and start an epidemic of peace and be change agents.

Former assistant commissioner of police Terry Young praised CSP for the work they had done in his hometown of Success Village, Laventille. He said through the programme he has come to a place where he can conduct mediation and conflict management and have agreement at all stages.

CSP community youth specialist Gary Grant said he looked forward to the graduates using their mediation skills to make a difference in their communities.

“Don’t stop here.

Move forward with it,” he urged.

Guerra lived in Pepper Village, Fyzabad.

According to a police report, at about 4.15 pm on Friday, Guerra was driving on the south-bound lane when he lost control of his car, which veered off the highway and crashed into iron railings.

Guerra pitched out of the car, landing on the roadside where he died.

A district medical officer viewed the body and ordered it be taken to the San Fernando mortuary.

This is the view of Citizen Security Programme (CSP) Coordinator Gregory Sloane-Seale. He made the comments while delivering the feature address yesterday at the graduation ceremony for the CSP Conflict Management/Mediation programme held at the Chamber of Commerce, Westmoorings.

He pointed out that the issue of domestic violence has been circulating recently. Last week Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley received both praise and criticism for his statements that women have a responsibility to pick those they associate with wisely and should know when to get out of a relationship.

Sloane-Seale said the country is in the throes of a very challenging time noting January had a lot of violence and homicides.

He added that below the surface most incidents had to do with interpersonal relationships or the lack thereof.

He noted that soca artiste Bunji Garlin (Ian Alvarez) and his social media challenge for men to protect women and stand up for them. Sloane- Seale applauded Bunji for bringing the issue to the fore and added that the challenge is to the men.

He said as a man he understands the challenges and the sometimes unreasonable expectations placed upon men. He pointed out that as a boy is encouraged to not express emotions and not to cry when things hurt because “that’s what girls do”.

He stressed, however, that it is what humans do and because men are not able to express themselves over the developmental stages many of them have repressed feelings of anger, frustration and confusion.

He said their bodies want to cry and talk about things but no social space exists for this, even for children.

He continued that the place where they seek the most comfort, the home, is where they feel they can express their negative energy and act like they own women.

He explained that domestic violence and male on male violence is an issue of power and control.

“And that power and control is something that has been taken away from boys and men over the years and it is something that we have to relinquish. And I am talking about the power to be human.

The power to cry because you angry, you frustrated, you sad, you just not feeling good. The power to express your weaknesses, your insecurities without being laughed at by men and women. By not being labelled a negative label because ‘is not man to do that’…

that is a girl thing,” he said.

He explained that all human beings have male and female attributes and there were deep rooted things that we need to discuss. He reported that two graduates from the programme have given their personal perspective and that they now see relationships through a different lens.

“I think that’s a beautiful thing,” he added.

A CSO statement yesterday said its Population, Social and Vital Statistics Division gave a breakdown of gender.

“This total consists of 679,288 males and 674,607 females,” said the statement, indicating TT has about 5,000 more males than females.

The statement said TT’s population was 1,213,733 (1.2 million) in 1990. By 2000 it grew to 1,262,366 (1.3 million) person. In 2011 TT had 1,328,019 (1.3 million) persons.

The 1.4 million mark was not attained until June of 2016. The mid-year estimates are calculated as at June of every year using the data from the preceding Population and Housing Census as a baseline. Births, deaths and estimated net migration are the data used when compiling mid-year estimates.

It must be catching in the new world of political leadership.

Keith Rowley sounded as uncaring and as “ignorant” (used in its Trinidadian interpretations here) as Donald Trump.

But while the average American has suddenly blossomed forth in bigotry and ignorance, and will excuse, if not appreciate Donald Trump’s proud bigotry and sexism, that will not happen here. Thankfully, condemnation of Rowley’s astonishing advice for our women who are being battered, raped and horrifically murdered was universal among our women. Our menfolk still largely remain ignorant and woefully insecure.

The unfortunate impression left by our Prime Minister was that boys will be boys and it is the responsibility of our women and girls to shun them and leave them. Our men are accepted as predators free to abuse, rape and kill our women. The responsibility for women’s wellbeing and survival depends solely upon our women, according to our Prime Minister.

This is most unfortunate and it must be acknowledged that his attitude is far too prevalent among our male population, and regrettably, also infused and engrained within some of our female population. While the Office of the Prime Minister issued an explanation, saying that all of us misunderstood Dr Rowley’s remarks, he apparently has not felt the need to apologise.

Violent crime generally, and abuse of our women in particular, is now in epidemic mode. And for the Prime Minister and his government to continue to hide from the issues is totally unacceptable.

They came into office largely on their claims that the previous government had no solutions to the crime situation. Almost two years have passed and the murder rate has soared in numbers, and in the brutality being perpetrated.

Murders began to increase in Trinidad and Tobago from the first month that the PNM came into power. At the time I held my peace because I wondered whether it was coincidence or whether gangs were jockeying for position to ply their nefarious trade under a more compliant PNM.

Our hapless Police Service are quick to tell us that other categories of crime are “Down”, and for this, if totally true (have people given up on reporting petty crime?), the police must be commended. However, it is murder which horrifies and terrifies our society. The simple fact that bumping into someone in a fete can lead to your being killed should tell us where we are as a society.

Our Prime Minister has warned our women to stay away from a free life in order to keep from being killed. But is every murder of a woman necessarily triggered by a domestic dispute or lover’s quarrel? Must women in potentially violent relationships acquiesce to servitude and obedience in order to survive? Clearly there is no true, workable protection for our women who find their lives in danger from abusive male companions. Restraining Orders mean nothing to men whose self esteem is so pathetically lacking that they will kill their spouse or girlfriend if only to assert their pathetic concept of manhood.

The time has long passed for our country to deal with our young men. Those whom we have allowed to grow up, largely without education, but notwithstanding that some are well educated, with no social skills whatever. Social skills teach and guide people how to live together, a concept which every civilized society, and even groups of social animals has mastered. We lived in a relatively civilized, if not socially equitable society for many generations. The current challenges of violence and impending anarchy stem from us allowing our children to grow their teenaged years without parental or scholastic guidance. Locked into their electronic devices and steeped in violence from computer games, movies and music, simple civilized living as members of groups have ceased to guide us.

Our Prime Minister, his “Office” and our male society as a whole need to set the examples, and define the disciplinary inputs needed to re-establish a society based upon reasonable standard ethics and mores. And while I accept that many males have no clue as to what their role should be in this—and this clearly includes the Prime Minister—then our w o m e n must step up and put these buf foonish men in their place, and back into a classroom to learn about life.

And that’s just as well, because it’s a long life if you’re lucky, but nothing can be taken for granted. That is particularly true if you leave the comfort and safety of your homeland and go to visit somewhere else. Immediately you’re among people you didn’t grow up with.

You don’t know their traditions and their standard practices. You don’t even know where the shops and restaurants are. You are therefore at the mercy of the population wherever you find yourself.

On a recent trip to Guyana, I am looking for a foreign government department office. I knock on the big wooden gate and a woman sticks her cornrowed head over the wall to look at me through the bars.

They don’t open till two. According to my watch that was 20 minutes ago, but there’s a time difference here and I’ve forgotten to adjust my watch and phone.

The security girl lets me in and escorts me to the appropriate door.

While we wait for the clerk to return from lunch, the girl and I make polite conversation and the parting of her lips exposes a gold front tooth with some sort of design on it. Maybe a letter – it’s rude to stare and she tries to keep her mouth closed when she smiles, so it’s probably not her favourite feature.

Her name is Celine.

With 20 minutes to wait, I expect her to disappear, but she doesn’t.

It’s a nice, shady courtyard and I ask her about the other buildings.

She tells me the complex is owned by Eddy Grant, the Guyanese musician who moved to the UK and had hits like Baby Come Back (with The Equals), Electric Avenue and Give Me Hope, Jo’anna.

Celine is interested in who I am and what I’m doing there, because as usual I am clearly not from around these parts. She is not married, and I can’t help asking why. Not that getting married is the holy grail for women, but she is 40-years-old, good-looking, pleasant, kind and helpful: how can she have avoided it? She seems to realize I’m not passing judgment or even being nosy. I’m interested because she is instantly my friend.

With business eventually concluded I make my way to a small airport just outside Georgetown.

It’s called Ogle, this airport, and it’s also called International, because you can fly to other countries from it. The very word “international” makes it sound sophisticated, but only if you’ve forgotten what other “international” airports can be like.

The money in Guyana is practically worthless. The previous night I milked the ATM at the hotel for $6,000 Guyanese and it’s all gone –the taxi was $1500 and the bill for dinner in the hotel’s restaurant (Japanese food) was mind-boggling.

Predictably there is no ATM at this airport. (Actually, there might be one by now, because they told me it had been delivered but not yet set up.) I’m so tired from the previous day’s travel that I walk out of the ticket office without my passport and the girls are highly amused when I return to claim it.

I find a caf? that looks as though it has nothing, but in fact sells everything.

I am served by a very friendly, mumsy, 40-something woman in a navy and white hooped jersey dress that makes the long, mountainous journey all the way down to her ankles.

The ethnic mix in Guyana is largely African and Indian, and being white is not a comfortable thing here. This morning’s taxi driver has already explained that he was hampered on our trip by other drivers who may have noticed I was in the car.

However, he, the hotel staff, the security girl and this substantial woman couldn’t be nicer. She roots through a chaotic medicine cabinet and finds me some Ibuprofen.

Having knocked these back with some water and a cheese sandwich, I would like to stay and take on still more fluids, because check-in is not for another two hours, but all I’ve got left is $100.

I slope across to the departure shed – I mean lounge – and tell my tale of woe to a girl from another airline. She smiles and wordlessly goes into the back office. Returning with a fistful of Guyanese banknotes, she GIVES me $500, and even though it’s not as much as it automatically seems, it’s a kind gesture to a tired traveller.

People notice how we behave.

You might think you’ll never see somebody again, but they’ll remember you if you treat t h e m well, possibly even m o r e than if you treat t h e m badly.

It has been argued that the then UNC-led government and the PNM-led government before it, lost the General Elections of 2015 and 2010, respectively, over the issues of transparency and accountability.

Both regimes were given failing grades with regard tot he management of the nation’s finances.

Governments must always be challenged to be accountable and transparent and must be made to pay the political price for any financial corruption whatsoever. The electorate must send clear and unambiguous signals that a lack of financial transparency and accountability will not be tolerated.

Given the importance of the principles of transparency and accountability, our country ought to broaden what these terms could and should refer to and, at the same time, also measure the performance of any government on a broadened understanding of these maxims.

We need a paradigm shift as regards what we describe as the nation’s resources. We have to redefine our wealth and, in so doing, see wealth as also arising from people-generated ideas, innovation and creativity. In the present recession, it appears that Trinidad and Tobago is on slow-down mode because of reduced national revenue. A country is not run on foreign exchange alone.

We need to hold any government also accountable for lack of transparency and accountability with respect to the generation of ideas, innovation and creativity. The management of these social processes are just as important to an economy as the management of foreign exchange. There are noncash drivers of an economy. Said differently, we need a broader vision of what transparency and accountability should refer to.

The present government must be called to task for a lack of transparency as regards its ideas, innovation and creativity for developing the economy and moving it away from gas and oil dependency.

The population must demand the generation and circulation of ideas, policies and programmes to diversify the economy.

It is a gross insult to our highly educated population to hold that because of reduced revenue from oil and gas, the economy is doomed. We need to think out of the ‘oil-and-gas box’.

There are some government ministers whose names the country has forgotten: they appear to have gone missing in action.

This is because the government is either not generating ideas, policies and programmes for economic diversification, or they are not properly communicating them.

The Dr Rowley led administration must inspire confidence through communicating a clear plan going forward. The government must tell the population what is going to be done to diversify our economy.

Indeed, it needs to indicate how this is going to be done and in what time frame.

Our country must broaden the vision of what it means for a government to be accountable and transparent.

Banks may be “struggling to make ends meet” but so too are their customers.

C Peters via email