Making of The Purge documentary in Trinidad and Tobago?

TRENT ALI

PEOPLE ARE scared to leave their homes because it seems inevitable that anywhere they go they are bound to be victims of crime. Even so, their homes are not safe, because everything from robbery to firebombing is a possibility.

Does this premise sound familiar? It resembles that of The Purge. One significant difference between The Purge and the situation in our country, though, is that the former is a fictional film. However, if one were to record the news and take note of the horrific events that plague our country, would we be seeing a work of fiction or a documentary? Unfortunately, it would be the latter.

Crime being prevalent to such a degree is one issue, but it being uncontrollable is, sadly, laughably senseless and can be easily repaired if the police were to simply fulfil the purposes for which they were hired. Yes, we must also implement measures to prevent people from turning to crime, but do the police even try?

Crystal Harricharan had to make multiple reports to a police station when her life was threatened. They did not listen so she had to file statements at another station. Why should any of this have been allowed? It is preposterous. And then, despite her case being overseen by officers attached to St Margaret’s Police Station, it is difficult to believe they offered the necessary protection to her so that she would be alive today.

What about little Amarah Lallitte? Her head was found in one room and her body in another, but her life was gone forever. Similarly, 19-year-old Nicolas Baptiste was stabbed in his chest because of an argument. Why should any argument escalate to a level where physical violence becomes an option? Like the farmer who rushed to save his family from a robbery at their home in Welcome Road North, Cunupia, Baptiste died.

There are many more episodes, unfortunately, which I can recount. Rather, I implore the police to do their job. Do not wait for laws to be broken and for lives to be lost before you start your investigations, which take an eternity to yield few to no results. Grow a pair, put on a codpiece, and hunt down criminals before they loot and murder and firebomb, and the next instalment of The Purge is centred on TT.

Members of the police force and the army are very visible during the Carnival season, though they seemingly stand around doing nothing. Why can’t they be out and about protecting and serving the innocent citizens for the rest of the year?