'Trinis eh really know what dey want'

THE EDITOR: “Trinidadians eh really know what dey want”, sang late calypsonian Maestro in 1975, in his calypso “Mr Trinidad.” How apt are those words today, 43 years later.

Crime has reached alarming proportions yet criminals are being defended by some, even though in the minority. Who speaks for the victims? Why isn’t there any defence of the victims and their families? Who has spoken about criminal activity and the need for criminals to put down their guns and change their lives?

Everyone, it seems, can speak volumes about a gun-toting bandit being killed by police, yet none has anything to say whenever a policeman or civilian is killed by bandits. How many innocent people have been killed by gun-toting bandits, even though they pleaded for their lives? Why should a gun-toting bandit expect to be treated differently?

The CoP has declared war on two fronts regarding criminals. One is the physical war against criminal activity and the other is the psychological war, letting criminals know what can possibly be the result of their criminal action.

Where are the chambers of commerce, businessmen, attorneys, NGOs, places of worship, some at the University of the West Indies and others who deem the CoP's current pronouncements harsh on criminals?

How many of them have set up a fund to benefit the victims and their families? How many of them have invited the criminals to a workshop or seminar so that they can talk with them to find out what has caused them to turn to a life of crime and what would be required to turn their lives around? Yet when serious action is being taken, many come out of the woodwork to condemn it.

Dealing with criminal activity requires a multi-faceted approach. Primary among the approaches is the Judiciary. We are hearing about all types of approaches to deal with different types of court cases, yet nothing much has happened. There is no escaping the fact that the Judiciary is partly responsible for the state of crime in Trinidad and Tobago.

The Police should visit every single school to talk with the students and teachers about the consequences of crime. This should occur at least once per year for every primary and secondary school. Continued reinforcement will deter many who may be tended to a life of crime or criminal activity.

Instead of condemning the Police Commissioner and the Police Service for potential extra-judicial killings and imagining all types of scenarios that occur in other countries, all of the afore-mentioned entities must come together now and provide tangible support to the current initiative on crime. Which oganisation or entity will bell the cat?

HARJOON HEERALAL, Carapichaima