Sex in Chaguanas market

CHAGUANAS Market is a hotbed of sexual activity, the Joint Select Committee (JSC) on the Miscellaneous Provisions (Local Government Reform) Bill 2019 was told yesterday. Drug dealing and gambling are also on the cards.

The committee, chaired by Clarence Rambharat, heard complaints of dire neglect of the facility from Crystal Dillon, president of the Chaguanas Vendors Association.

“There are problems of sexual activities within the market.”

Newsday later asked if this was organised prostitution, but she said it seems to be more a case of people opportunistically finding unsecured empty rooms to use for sex, often after they had been drinking alcohol.

“We have problems with gambling. We have people coming in to the market and gambling, which invites the criminal element to enter the market in the form of drug pushers and users.”

Dillon said the market was not properly manned and lacked security and administration.

“There are great issues with security right now. Robberies are taking place. Bandits are plaguing the vendors and the customers. They could run in and out as they please.”

She called for police foot patrols in the market, saying security had been cut owing to lack of funding.

Dillon said some vendors pay a monthly fee to use the market – $150 for vegetable sales, $200 for clothing sales and $250 for meat and fish sales – but some do not. She alleged some vendors who paid would be told they had not done so, while others were not allowed to pay off their arrears.

Saying twice as many vend outside the market than inside, Dillon lamented, “If people vend on the street, it takes away from sales in the market.”

JSC member Dr Suruj Rambachan asked if food hygiene was officially enforced, but she replied no.

JSC member Garvin Simonette sought answers from Municipal Police ACP Brian Headley, who lamented that the Chaguanas Borough Corporation had only ten officers. Saying 200 officers passing out and 200 now in training may seem to be big numbers, he said in reality these are shared among 14 regional corporations.

Headley added that it was hard to man the market 24/7, so the police operated only at its busy times and using small teams.

“At this time the Chaguanas Municipal Police do not have a marked police vehicle to do their duties. Some of the officers do not have uniforms,” he added.

JSC member Esmond Forde calculated that the country’s 663 municipal police officers, spread across 14 regional corporations, worked out at 47 officers per municipalities.

Rambachan asked for what goal were municipal police being trained if they did not even have uniforms, alleging a dereliction of duty.

“Why don’t municipal police want to work in Chaguanas Market? It’s a free-for-all, because they are refusing to work in the market.”

Earlier, Peter Faustin who represents food vendors at Queen’s Park Savannah, Port of Spain, said public health inspectors had not made regular visits since the time of former mayor Louis Lee Sing. He said it was hard to get a permit from the Ministry of Agriculture to vend at the site, but once done, this document would be helpful in getting a food handler’s badge. JSC member Camille Robinson-Regis asked who the municipal police take direction from.

Some discussion ensued on the role of the country's 433 traffic wardens, out of 649 positions. Chief Traffic Warden Randolph Protain said the traffic warden programme was a victim of its own success, as wardens were often drawn over to become municipal police officers.

Earlier, Downtown Owners and Merchants Association (DOMA) head Gregory Aboud lamented city shops are disadvantaged relative to shopping malls regarding security and car parking.

Rambachan endorsed this sentiment by warning against any new laws which dampen economic activity. Both men explained the social role of cities, which should be supported.

In a similar spirit Kiran Singh of San Fernando Chamber of Commerce said wreckers deter many shoppers from entering San Fernando to shop.