‘WE TOO VIOLENT’

With a murder toll that has already crossed 500 for 2018, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley yesterday declared TT was a violent society.

He also said his Government will deal aggressively with the availability of guns to commit murders and other violent crimes in the coming year.

Speaking to reporters during his Diego Martin West constituency’s annual children’s Christmas party at the Four Roads Recreation Ground, La Puerta, Rowley said all efforts must be made, not just by law enforcement, to reverse the view that violence is a way of life in this country.

“So, we are working on improving our detection and in bringing people to justice. But, more importantly, we have too many people in this country who believe that violence is an acceptable way of life,” he observed.

Rowley said even when the criminals do not use firearms to commit murders, “it is other (ways) of taking life and we are just a violent society.”

He added: “The conversation has to be from the homes to the schools to the churches to the streets. We just have to take down this view that violence is an acceptable way of life.”

Referring to the murder toll, which stands at 502, Rowley said this remains a major source of concern for his administration.

“That is an intractable problem which we are very, very disappointed about because the willingness with which elements of our society seem to see killing as the source of their problem and the solution to their problem.”

Noting the security services have redoubled their efforts in recent times, with some success, Rowley said, however, the availability of firearms to commit violent crime still remains a problem.

“One has to wonder what the situation would have been if we hadn’t had the success that we have had. That is one area of crime, the murders. And it is largely because of the availability to some people of firearms who seem to think that they can commit these offences and not be detected.”

Asked about his Christmas wish for the country, Rowley said: “That we improve our safety and security. That the security services bring a sense of comfort.”

He said attention also will be paid to building an economy “that can satisfy the needs of our people and we are looking forward to improvements in 2019.”

No comment on Archie

And on whether he had perused the report of the Law Association of TT (LATT) calling for a tribunal to be established to investigate allegations of misconduct against Chief Justice Ivor Archie, Rowley said he would speak when he is ready.

The Office of the Prime Minister confirmed in a Facebook post on Friday that Rowley had received the LATT report by letter dated December 13 as well as documents from the Law Association. “I have no comment to make on that issue,” he told reporters when questioned yesterday. “When I have a comment to make, I will let you know. As soon as I have something to say on that issue I will let you know.”

Several legal luminaries, including former chief justice Michael De La Bastide, have said the PM has grounds to act on the report on the basis of the doctrine of necessity. However, Rowley had said in an earlier interview he would not make any hasty decision on the matter.

This was underscored by Minister in the Office of the Attorney General Fitzgerald Hinds, who told reporters during Thursday’s post-Cabinet news conference that the matter was of constitutional purport “and no prime minister, especially including the Prime Minister of TT....given his very sober and sensible and deliberate approach to the job of being prime minister, would act without advice.”