Parliament committee to consider Opposition request to probe murder spree

With murders inching closer to the 500 mark, a joint parliamentary team is considering an Opposition proposal to haul in top government officials and law enforcement personnel to get answers on the seemingly out-of-control crime rate and what is being done to stem it.

Port of Spain South MP Keith Scotland, the chairman of the Joint Select Committee on National Security, in a letter to Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal on October 26, said he is prepared to discuss the proposal at the next meeting of the committee "as a matter of urgency."

Moonilal and Opposition senator Jayanti Lutchmedial had written to Scotland on October 25 after the Divali long weekend when 16 people were murdered. They requested the committee interrogate the Prime Minister, who is chairman of the National Security Council, National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds, the leadership of the police service, the heads of the intelligence gathering units including the Strategic Services Agency as a matter of urgency in order to ascertain what, if anything, is being done to curb the spate of senseless killings.

In response, Scotland said the committee is already looking at the factors that contribute to the prevalence of illegal guns and gun violence in Trinidad and Tobago and the issues raised by the Opposition may be compatible with the current enquiry. He said the committee "may be willing to consider using the earliest opportunity to interrogate" the issues relating to rising number of murders "at the earliest opportunity."

On the issue of who can be summoned to give account, Scotland said that was a matter for the consideration of the committee. He directed that the Opposition's request be sent to other members of the committee ahead of the next meeting which has not yet been scheduled.

The other members of the committee are Independent Senator Paul Richards, government MPs Kennedy Richards, Ayanna Webster-Roy and government senators Nigel De Freitas and Randall Mitchell.