UNC wants Nat Sec meeting after 16-murder weekend: What are you doing?

Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal and Senator Jayanti Lutchmedial, as members of the Joint Select Committee (JSC) on National Security, have written to the committee’s chairman, Port of Spain South MP Keith Scotland, calling on him to convene a meeting to interrogate members of the national security apparatus. The letter was sent after 16 murders were recorded over the Divali holiday long weekend between Friday and Monday.

In a letter dated October 25, the parliamentarians requested an urgent meeting to discuss the staggering increase in murders.

“Today, the nation has been left shell shocked by reports of one of the bloodiest long weekends in recent memory with a total of 17 murders. Whilst the crime situation has been spiralling out of control for some time, the detection rate for such heinous crimes remains abysmal, and the sense of fear and hopelessness felt by citizens is becoming ever more apparent in their many pleas for an intervention from those who hold political office.”

Moonilal and Lutchmedial said this type of inquiry by the committee was essential if it was to uphold its overall mandate to ensure that peace, order and good governance of the country prevails

“We are of the view that it is critical for this committee to interrogate the chairman of the National Security Council, the National Security Minister, the leadership of the police service and the heads of all intelligence gathering agencies including the Strategic Services Agency (SSA) as a matter of urgency in order to ascertain what, if anything, is being done to curb the spate of senseless killings which has claimed the lives of innocent children and, more importantly to, bring perpetrators to justice. We call upon you to forthwith summon these entities to answer questions by members of the committee.”

Scotland, speaking to Newsday on Tuesday evening, said he had not received the letter up to that time.

“I am surprised that a letter of that nature would find itself in the public domain. I spoke to the JSC secretariat up to this (Tuesday) morning, and there was no indication of it.

“There is another planned meeting of the secretariat on Wednesday to deal with the business of the JSC, and the terms of that letter will be addressed as a matter of urgency.”

Acting Police Commissioner Mc Donald Jacob said he, the executive, and the officers of the police service were concerned about the level of murders being committed.

“Many of the murders were committed in aid of gang rivalry, in terms of revenge and retaliation. In addition, the types of firearms being used means that more than one person is being killed in one incident, when long ago you used to have one person being killed because of the sort of firearms.

“We had two murders which were related to domestic violence, however the bulk of the murders were from firearms.”

He said the problem of illegal firearms was one of the main priorities of the police service.

“Our efforts continue, other than investigating the murders to remove and hold the offenders, and charge them for the matters, but also to remove firearms from off the streets in TT. We recently took 500 firearms off the streets and, before the end of this month, we’ve reached 375 – 100 of which are sub-machine guns. Our main effort is to disrupt the flow of firearms and ammunition into TT which is creating mayhem, but firearms are being used by these miscreants, called gangs, on the street in these fatal and revenge activities.

Jacob said patrol mechanisms had been strengthened, resulting in improved response times. He said efforts are being made to build up the intelligence apparatus to be more proactive in preventing murders from happening.

“Within recent weeks we have done a lot of duty of care, where we would have received information preventing murders from occurring. In spite of what happened over the weekend, 100 people were arrested on warrants, seven firearms were taken off the streets, two people were arrested right after murders occurred because of the quick response, and the officers have been working assiduously to address the problem in TT.”

Jacob said the members of the service were as concerned as citizens, “because at the end of the day, as far as the public is concerned, the responsibility for the safety and security of the country is the police service, and when these things are happening we feel as if we are really and truly not doing our jobs.

“We will use whatever is available to us to try and stem the crime problem in TT.

“The police officers are really making a strong effort. They work long hours, and they really are doing all they can.”

He called on the courts to play a more prominent role, and for the laws related to firearms possession and bail to be tightened up.

MONDAY

Nisha Juman, 35, Cunupia.

Kofi Boucher, 41, San Juan.

Jade Telesford, 22, Santa Cruz.

SUNDAY

Whitnol “Jimmy” Philbert, 36, Santa Cruz.

Caleb Mason, 24, and Robert “Twin” Forde, 59, Diego Martin.

Wint Gabriel, 39, Mayaro.

SATURDAY

Nazim Owen, three; Chelsea Julien, 27; Akeil Gloster; and Marcus Noel, 22, Diego Martin.

Rodney Charles, 32, Diamond Village.

FRIDAY

Darwin Gokool, 39, Laventille.

Omari Sobers, Whim, Tobago.

Stephan Edwards, Morvant.