Will crime crash Carnival?

THE BREAKFAST SHED, the Queen’s Park Savannah, Ariapita Avenue – this is a list of the settings of recent acts of deadly gun violence. Whether “gang-related” or not, these incidents in Port of Spain, coupled with recent attacks in Tobago, suggest a decisive and disturbing shift.

We have long been accustomed to brazen acts of criminality in public sites. But the recreational nature of these spaces is something entirely different.

And with Carnival only a few weeks away, this trend has led some people to question what impact, if any, crime will have on our marquee cultural event.

In the short run, the answer is likely to be none. People paid for their costumes months ago. Most have already planned which fetes they will attend. Flights and hotels are booked. Where there may be an impact is in the group who are more itinerant in their habits: people who decide to attend things at the last minute. Such “floating” revellers are an important part of the economic picture, but they are less likely to hold sway in terms of gate receipts.

Of course, it does not matter when crime occurs, the fact of its occurrence is bad enough. Viewed from that angle, Carnival masqueraders have never allowed the horrors of crime to stop them. In years when the festival has been early in the calendar, the season has tended to coincide, uncomfortably, with the spike in crime that comes with every new year. If anything, our social travails are a major reason why people flock to Carnival: to break free.

We have a strong tradition of this festival being staged without major incident. It is to the credit of our national security apparatus that every single Carnival is largely safe. Incidents do occur. But considering the vast number of participants and the complex logistics involved, these incidents are limited in scope.

However, the seeming shift of criminal activity into more leisure spaces is likely to have a serious impact in the long term, dissuading tourists and returning nationals from travelling to these shores. The shift also marks something decidedly barbaric. Murder is already an unconscionable evil, but we must now add the terror of coming under siege while simply trying to enjoy a night, or day, on the town.

Erla Harewood-Christopher, who will mark her second year as Commissioner of Police in a few weeks’ time at the height of the Carnival season, is assuring the tide will turn. To her credit, she oversaw a decrease in murders and road fatalities in 2023. But as the top cop heads towards a Cabinet review of her performance in May, she must do more than just pray. A good place to start would be to increase the police presence on Ariapita Avenue, as requested by Woodbrook residents.