Tobagonians hope 'new broom' Scotland can sweep crime away

TOBAGONIANS are hoping to see results in the fight against violent crimes, particularly murders, on the island.

In a show of force on August 12, new Minister in the Ministry of National Security Keith Scotland and Police Commissioner Erla Harewood-Christopher led a walkabout through Crown Point and Scarborough, and also visited police stations across the island.

They told members of the media that they are in Tobago for 48-72 hours and also planned to visit several communities and speak to business leaders.

On their walk in Scarborough, the team, which also consisted of Insp Alicia Piggott and Sgt Emmanuel Yorke made their way from KFC on Wilson Road across to the E-Day supermarket, before visiting the Port Authority compound.

There have been a number of shootings in downtown Scarborough, the latest on August 3 resulting in the murder of Ezra Sylvester. Two other men were shot but are recovering from their injuries. There have been a record 19 murders on the island.

One man outside the E-Day supermarket said he appreciated the intervention.

“I am really glad to see these heads take time off their busy schedule and journey here to meet with us. The crime situation on the island, and more so in the capital, is out of hand. It’s outrageous, for want of a better term.

"So it feels good to have them here, but I really hope it yields results.”

A woman nearby, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity, said: “I want to see results. People are already scared to come into Scarborough, which is our capital, so I 100 per cent support the intervention of the two.”

A man at the port compound said: "This is a start actually, but we are hoping to see much more."

Chairman of the Tobago Business Chamber Martin George applauded the effort as he expressed hope.

“We are hoping that new brooms sweep clean and that Mr Scotland, now Minister in the Ministry of National Security, would bring a fresh perspective, new ideas and an innovative approach to tackling the problem of crime in Tobago.”

The chamber, George said, was invited to meet with Scotland and Harewood-Christopher on August 13 at 10am.

“We are willing to meet with him as a business chamber. Our members are quite eager for such a meeting. We do have our thoughts and suggestions in terms of things they can do to reduce the crime rate in Tobago.”

He added: “We’ll also want to hear from the TTPS as to what strategies they are outlining and what plans they have – and maybe what resource constraints they have which can probably be raised or addressed with the minister. And of course, we’ll want to hear from the ministry ‘s perspective as to what is the overall plan for bringing back Tobago to be somewhere that is safe, secure and serene.”

Chairman of the Tobago Division of the TT Chamber of Industry and Commerce Curtis Williams shared similar sentiments.

“We welcome the minister's arrival in Tobago and we’re looking forward to a fruitful and productive meeting on Tuesday. We’re looking forward to that meeting which would definitely be fruitful, as the assurance was given to us that we will have some deliverables.”