The people must act now on deadly crime

THE EDITOR: The loss of a loved one is a very emotional affair. Families go through years of pain and suffering in the aftermath of such an event. Death is not something that is normal for any society.

The world invests trillions of dollars on research and medicinal practices to prevent death and extend life. Any society accepting hundreds of their population being killed with very few arrested and convicted for such acts is bordering on anarchy and is not in tandem with normal human behaviour.

TT cannot accept it as business as usual when nine people are shot in one community in one period and four are killed. No government, no police service and no population should see this as an acceptable norm.

The loss of life and the lack of security in communities are not things for political posturing or for scoring political points. When safety and security are compromised in a country, the world notices, business slows down, investors refrain from new initiatives, and others seek alternative countries for foreign investments. Tourism is discouraged and the economy falters.

TT is quickly being seen as a very dangerous place. No citizen, no government, no opposition, and no sector of our society should seek to see this label as anything but damaging to the image of a country and one that can have long-term disastrous effects on the quality of life for all our citizens.

Now is the time for not only political consultation on solutions to the rise in criminal activity, but for every sector of our society to meet and urgently address the issue.

For example, with little effort one can find out not only who committed the deadly shooting act in the Heights of Guanapo. With appropriate investigation, in short time one can find out where the guns and ammunition came from, what was the reason behind the assault, and much more. The reality is there is always much more to a story, but there is no absolute secret in communities. Somebody always knows.

The problem is that most witnesses do not trust the system, they are afraid that they too will become victims, and the system of justice and the legislation offer no comfort to one seeking to see justice done. These issues must be addressed with urgency. They require the input and commitment of all who can contribute to meaningful change.

Over the next few weeks, the population must address the issue of crime and start organising initiatives to fix it. There are no alternatives. We either act now and decisively or see TT degenerate into a failed state.

Hope is that which we must cling to.

STEVE ALVAREZ

via e-mail