Martin George vows to revitalise Tobago Crime Stoppers

CHAIRMAN of the Tobago Business Chamber Martin George is saddened by the scourge and horror of crime which he said is bedevilling Tobago.

On October 13, police began investigating the death of a 42-year-old Cunupia man whose body was found at the beach near the ANR Robinson International Airport in Crown Point.

Marcus Archer, originally from Bejucal Road, worked with a contracting company in Tobago, and was last seen by colleagues at around 6 pm on October 12 when he was leaving work.

His body was found with a chop wound to the neck.

Police were called when a homeless man who lives near the beach found Archer’s body at around 8 am and told a bather. Police believe he was killed in the wee hours of the morning. Archer’s death was the 25th murder this year, the highest number ever recorded in Tobago.

Investigations are ongoing. Investigators have ruled out gang affiliation as a motive.

In a WhatsApp video on October 14, one day after the murder, George said it cannot be emphasised enough how much damage and destruction this is doing to the island.

“It is damaging the fabric of our society, it is damaging our business community, it is ripping apart families, it is tearing apart lives and it is basically tearing the island of Tobago into pieces.”

He said the chamber has called on the authorities, the police, the THA and “everyone possible, including the central government, to try and step up to the plate, to redouble their efforts, to increase their vigilance and the policing effort in Tobago to put a stop to this murderous trend.

“This is beyond belief, beyond the pale, beyond anything imaginable, and we cannot continue to remain numb and dumb in the face of this increasing and escalating crisis.”

He said the chamber is pledging its support for the efforts of the police, the THA and the central government “in whatever way we can partner with them to assist in fighting this evil that is menacing the island of Tobago.”

He said as a director of Crime Stoppers, he is personally making a pledge and commitment to Tobago that he will speak with his fellow directors with the aim of relaunching, revamping and revitalising its initiatives and programmes on the island.

“It’s not just a question of talking about the problem – you also have to be part of the solution. In this way, I am making a personal commitment to Tobago. We are going to be rolling it out again so that persons would know that there is a safe, anonymous way to phone in information to us at Crime Stoppers, which we would then now filter and relay to the police so that they can now say, 'Yes, this seems to be a good actionable tip from a credible set of circumstances which actually happened in Tobago,' and then the police can now investigate those matters."