NTA: Kamla being misled about crime facts

THE National Transformation Alliance (NTA) has said UNC political leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar appears to have been misled by people within her own party about crime and murders.

The party made this observation in a statement on September 10, as it responded to comments Persad-Bissessar made at a UNC cottage meeting in Chaguanas on September 9.

In its statement, the NTA lamented there had been 139 murders in the last two months.

But the party said it was also unfortunate that people around Persad-Bissessar found it fitting to display false and misleading information on crime and murders at the UNC's meeting in an attempt to discredit NTA political leader Gary Griffith's record as commissioner of police (CoP) from 2018-2021.

At a UNC meeting in Chaguanas on August 26, Persad-Bissessar claimed Griffith was a failure as CoP. Griffith denied her claims on the same day.

The NTA said, "To clear up the misinformation, the facts are that there were 1,336 murders during Griffith’s tenure, not the figure of 1,906 displayed on the screen behind Persad-Bissessar."

The party said when Griffith assumed office in August 2018, he inherited an escalating murder rate, which took half of his tenure (18 months) to bring under control.

The NTA said Griffith's efforts, not the covid19 pandemic, as erroneously suggested by some people, were the reason why there were record reductions in crime under his watch as CoP.

The pandemic began while Griffith was commissioner. During the pandemic, the party continued, there was a surge in murders in Jamaica, Guyana and most cities in the US.

The NTA said the misinformation being provided to Persad-Bissessar appears to be politically inept, as it does not focus on the PNM's failed statistics on crime.

The party also said between 2010 and 2015, there were close to 2,500 murders while Persad-Bissessar, as prime minister, was chair of the National Security Council (NSC).

Against that background, the NTA said Persad-Bissessar and not Griffith should be deemed a failure.

The party also recalled that the UNC voted unaminously for Erla Harewood-Christopher to be appointed CoP, but abstained for Griffith's nomination in 2018.

The NTA argued that Harewood-Christopher could be the worst CoP, while Griffith is widely regarded as the best.

The party also claimed certain people close to Persad-Bissessar are providing her with information from the tenures of former acting CoPs Stephen Williams or McDonald Jacob which do not accurately reflect the current crime problem.

The NTA said while Griffith was CoP, the average monthly murder figure was 37, while the number under Jacob and Harewood-Christopher was 51 each.

The party repeated that public trust in the police was 59 per cent under Griffith but eight per cent under Jacob and Harewood-Christopher.

"Those misleading Mrs Persad-Bissessar are doing her, the party, and indeed the entire country a disservice."

The NTA said, "The real enemy is the PNM and their established record of incompetence, which is set to result in the three most murderous years in a row in our history, occurring in the three years after Mr Griffith left the TTPS (TT Police Service).

The party added, "These unprovoked and unnecessary attacks will not deter us, however, nor will those committed to division and poisoning decision-makers with lies and misleading information."

The NTA repeated its commitment to focus on unity and developing solutions to address the real issues facing the people, starting with crime.