Charles: Preventative approach to crime through NCPP

Fifteen persons were on Friday presented with instruments of appointment to the National Crime Prevention Programme’s (NCPP) Community Council of Tobago as the Ministry of National Security, in collaboration with the Tobago House of Assembly (THA), launched the Tobago leg of the programme last Friday at the Division of Community Development on Glen Road.

Speaking at the event, retired Major General Rodney Smart, NCPP’s National Coordinator, said the programme was established by the Cabinet to address crime and violence in the country and to identify citizens-centered initiatives for crime reduction.

“As we know, most of the initiatives that we treat with as regards to crime are really centrally focused coming from our centrally based institutions, the national institutions such as the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service and the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force. But this programme is different, this programme is coming from the space where we understand that one of the best ways to help persons from getting into crimes or to turn them away from crime is to do it at the community level,” said Smart.

He said the NCPP has begun on a phased basis, firstly in Tobago, Chaguanas and Diego Martin, following which it would be rolled out using the examples and successes of these three communities, taking the model to the rest of the country.

Speaking at the event, Chief Secretary Kelvin Charles, who received a letter of appointment to the NCPP’s Community Council, pledged Tobago’s support for the programme.

“The premise and overarching approach of the NCPP is in tandem with the structure and culture of the Tobago society and the time has certainly come for us to acknowledge that we have been fragmented for too long, we have been doing the blame game for too long and to an extent we have been in denial for too long,” Charles said.

He added: “We have a lot of work to do… For too long, we have heard cries from every corner of this country lamenting our crime situation. We not only complained about the state of crime, but quite often we blame everyone else especially the government of the day. The time has come for us to accelerate and strengthen the preventative approach to crime, criminality and deviancy.”

Shamfa Cudjoe, Member of Parliament for Tobago West and Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs, also spoke at the event, stating that crime prevention was everybody’s business.

“The Tobago that we know today is nothing like the Tobago in years gone by. Crime has found its way in and Tobago has changed especially as it relates to crime in all kinds of ways.

“I welcome this approach, we all have a part to play, everybody has a part to play, it is a comprehensive approach, it is all Government approach, all society approach. Everybody has work to do, the citizens, the government, law enforcement and of course we want the judiciary on board as well,” she said. Glenda Jennings-Smith, Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of National Security, in her remarks, said the programme offers an opportunity for communities, business and Government to work together to prevent crime through civic engagement and public education. “It offers a ground up approach which empowers community members to be directly involved in addressing the root causes of crime and to build and sustain a nationwide culture of crime prevention. Empowered communities are more effective and can reduce crime by us standing together… whether we live in villages in Tobago East or Tobago West, each community through different approaches will be guided and assisted by processes and structures of the NCPP,” said Jennings-Smith.