Young: No credibility in UNC's crime plan

National Security Minister Stuart Young says there is no credibility to crime-fighting initiatives announced by UNC leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar and accused the party of being part of the problem instead of the solution in tackling crime.

Persad-Bissessar announced several plans aimed at reducing crime and criminality during the UNC's virtual meeting on Thursday night. Among her proposed initiatives, she said the party would focus on investing in youth development while restructuring the Ministry of National Security into two departments.

Contacted for comment via WhatsApp on Friday, Young responded to the proposed crime plans, saying he was not convinced of Persad-Bissessar's motives.

Citing the 2011 state of emergency and the Life Sport programme, Young said policies implemented by the former administration have only made the problem of crime worse.

"The UNC can say as they wish and make false promises as they wish. We, the citizens of TT, recall very clearly that the UNC’s response to crime was a flawed state of emergency which Mrs Persad-Bissesar personally approved and oversaw the wrongful arrest and detention of hundreds of young men, with not a single successful conviction of anyone.

"Also the UNC’s crime plan that they implemented was Life Sport spending over $400 million of taxpayers’ dollars, in one fell swoop, to fund criminals and take our country down a criminal pathway that we are still dealing with. There is no credibility with respect to Mrs Persad-Bissessar, the UNC and any real fight against criminality."