Richards wants details on public-health approach to crime

Crime economist Anslem Richards says the Prime Minister must provide more details about his proposed multi-agency approach to address crime as a public-health issue.

He believes that if details are not forthcoming, the population will not respond favourably to the idea.

At a news conference on July 18, Dr Rowley announced the creation of a plan to treat crime as a public health emergency.

On that occasion, he said the initiative would be led by the permanent secretaries of the Ministries of Social Development and Health and involve the Office of the Prime Minister, Police Service, Tobago House of Assembly and Ministries of National Security, Sport and Education.

Rowley gave no further details.

On Tuesday, Richards, technical adviser in the THA Division of Finance, Trade and the Economy, noted that the “parameters” for treating crime as a public health emergency were not disclosed.

“Until the details are presented to the population, we don’t know how he has conceptualised crime as a public-health crisis.”

Richards referred to an initiative in Chicago, Illinois, some years ago, which, he said, was implemented to treat crime as a public health issue.

He said he had studied the initiative when he worked in Tobago’s Citizens Security Programme.

“I don’t know if the Prime Minister is borrowing the concept or borrowing the slogan from Chicago. I don’t know if that is the same kind of approach the prime minister wants to deploy in Trinidad and Tobago.

“But until the government presents the details and the parameters within which they propose to treat crime as a public-health issue, then we really can’t comment.”

He added, “He needs to come and tell us his government’s approach on how they propose to treat crime and what would be the methodologies and strategies. Because a key in this is how they intend to mobilise the population with this new approach to crime management from a public-health perspective.”

“The national community must be told in simple language what is involved and what it will take to treat crime as a public-health issue and how the population will be mobilised around this new approach to crime.”

Richards believes crime reduction requires buy-in from the population.

“How can they get the population to shift with them and be more responsive and involved in crime prevention and deterrence from a public-health approach?”

He said that the THA, at this time, cannot make any detailed assessment or comment about the plan.

“Because the key in crime control is population sensitisation, empowerment and mobilisation.”

At the UNC’s media briefing on Sunday, Naparima MP Rodney Charles also raised serious concerns about the initiative.

He wondered whether the officials were told about the plan before they were given the assignment. Charles also questioned whether they were qualified in crime management and reduction.

He believes the PNM has no plan to fight crime.