Faris: Canada sad over stalling of jail upgrade

Two top Canadian diplomats expressed shock at the former People’s Partnership (PP) Government’s failure to take steps to upgrade the operations of local prisons as agreed in an MOU between TT and Canada, said Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi yesterday.

He was at the time addressing the Diego Martin West People’s National Movement (PNM) Constituency annual general meeting at the Point Cumana Community Centre in Carenage.

Al-Rawi named current High Commissioner Carla Hogan and her predecessor Gerard Latulippe.

He said under the MOU many prison officers went to Canada for training in best practice.

He said this TT-Canada link was the reason the Prison Officers Association chose the local Canadian High Commission as the venue of their recent protests and call for refugee status.

He urged the POA to work collaboratively with him to stop criminal empires being operated from prison cells as facilitated by access to items such as cell-phones.

The solution to officers’ grievances over their personal safety was not to give every prison officer a gun to take home, or a new home, he said.

Al Rawi also added that since he took office he met bags full of shredded documents, plus a poorly-functioning Legislative Department, Solicitor General Department and Chief State Solicitor’s Office, all left by the former administration.

Al-Rawi further promised a raft of measures to stem criminality now.

“For people thinking of a life in crime, your days are numbered,” the AG warned.

He vowed a Criminal Division to be run on the successful lines of the Child and Family Court. Saying the PP’s attempt to have a limited state of emergency had been illegal, he noted that Jamaica had legislatively approved the cordoning-off of certain areas for joint patrols and he vowed to put out a similar proposal for public comment.

Al-Rawi said a National Prosecution Agency and a Public Defender System could also be expected while Civil Asset Forfeiture laws will unmask true ownership of property, helping eradicate crime.

Asking why anyone would oppose a TT Revenue Authority for better tax collection, he vowed a simple majority bill to enact this will come to Parliament this year.

Al-Rawi also disclosed legislation for follow-the-money probes, anti-terrorism, child and family, evidence, a central statistical authority and shipping are also expected to be taken to Parliament in the near future.