Children collateral

DAYS AFTER a government minister was robbed at gunpoint while sitting outside a bar in his constituency, leading him to lament where crime has reached, preschools now join the list of places that do not enjoy any sort of immunity from violent crime. That list already includes schools, hospitals, homes, places of worship and police stations.

But the shooting outside Roxann’s Learning and Childhood Centre in Barataria on September 25, which left two men dead and a four-year-old boy among the wounded, confirms the year 2024 as a moment when children fully became mere collateral to the criminal element.

On August 20, five-year-old Anika Guerra and her father were shot dead in Moruga, stunning the country.

Other instances for the year include that which took place on February 22, when 12-year-old Ezekiel Paria was killed during a shoot-out.

Adding a disturbing layer to this week’s incident in Barataria is the fact that it has shaken the perception of progress being made in the North-Eastern Division, where murders for the year have been down.

Up to the start of September, there had been 43 reports of murder in the division. By the same point in 2023, murders numbered 58. In 2022, they numbered 55, according to official police figures.

Though such progress was always tenuous, the prospect of reprisals reversing any gains is now very real.

What hope can a country – whether a republic or not – have when it cannot protect its own children?

This is the question policyholders, leaders and members of civil society must grapple with.

In her Republic Day message, President Christine Kangaloo warned against “armchair critics” and, in the same breath, called on people to voice their views and discharge their duties.

Action, however, is increasingly difficult given all that is happening or, rather, not happening. There is a sense of public policy paralysis. There is despair. That is why activities such as the candlelight vigil in Argyle, Tobago, on September 24 are so poignant and hopeful. As a country, we need to keep faith.

Former acting commissioner of police James Philbert, who spent 41 years in the field before his stint as top cop, this week described the situation as “overwhelming” and suggested the police can “move a little faster.” But the pace of investigations is one thing, successful prosecution another, as seen with the release of individuals held in relation to the minister’s robbery.

With more than six months since the affair at the Strategic Services Agency emerged, it is worth questioning if our intelligence apparatus is working as it should to address the interdiction of illegal guns, the penetration of gangs, as well as the identification and anticipation of threats to the young, old and all in between.