NAME THE GUNMEN

FORMER minister in the National Security Ministry Subhas Panday has called on Police Commissioner Gary Griffith to disclose the names of 50 dangerous gunmen which he reportedly has in his possession.

“Post the names in rumshops and throughout the country so that people will know who they are,” Panday urged yesterday.

These criminals may be family or friend and people need to know who they are, he said, and if the population is given the relevant informations, there could be 2.6 million eyes throughout the country on the lookout.

Speaking at a press conference yesterday at his office on Gordon Street, San Fernando, Panday called on Griffith to release the photographs and addresses of these 50 criminals which he said Griffith claims to have close to his bosom.

He advised the CoP to post pictures and information on the criminals in conspicuous places, in all government buildings and other public places.

“Since you say you know the addresses, stick it up in their villages, because criminals don’t like to be exposed.”

By so doing, he said villagers then could do surveillance on the people in question and inform the police at no cost. He advice Griffith to use the slogan “He can kill you,” since these gunmen were dangerous.

Panday said there needs to be a paradigm shift in the detection and suppression of serious crimes, in particular gun-related murders, are approached.

“I suggest that the model be changed and the population should be given the relevant information so that they can act on it and protect themselves.”

Sunday last, he said, has been called “Bloody Sunday,” as three people were shot and killed and a number of others shot and seriously injured.

“It appears that the more money we spend on national security, with particular reference to crime-solving, the murder rate continues to escalate phenomenally,” he said.

This situation, he said, is untenable and it appears that something is not being done right, as throwing money alone at solving crime is not working.

Over the years, he said the National Security Ministry has been given one of the largest allocations.

He called for restorative justice and reform of the criminals, as the principles which are applied after criminals go through long and expensive trials can be applied pre-emptively.

“They can be counselled by family members, the priest, the pundit, the imam to move away from their deviant behaviour,” Panday suggested.

This method will be cost-effective, he said, as it will prevent collateral damage to innocent members of the public, as in the case a 14-year-old girl who was shot and killed in Big Yard, Carenage, and a number of other children shot at in different circumstances, among them schoolchildren in Belmont. Some of these shooters, he said, behave like upright men in their villages but migrate to other areas and commit their crimes undetected, and hence the low detection rate. While cameras cannot be placed on every lamp post on every street in a country and there is never a sufficient number of police officers to deal with criminals, he argued, the population can help by being on the lookout.

“Crime is everybody’s business, and we must advise the population to mind their business. There must be a collaborative effort between the population and the protective services in dealing with crime.”

These pointers, Panday said, are in no way to undermine the steps taken to solve crime by the CoP, but an additional measure he can consider,as crime is debilitating the country and it appears the police have serious challenges in dealing with it.