Business chambers believe Commissioner of Police Erla Harewood-Christopher tried her best to control crime in the country during her tenure but agreed she was not successful.
Chairman of the Confederation of Regional Business Chambers Vivek Charran said during her term, the confederation members saw an increase in home invasions and continued to have issues with the system – the application and granting – of firearms licences.
But, he said the confederation also saw more vehicle patrols on the streets, including roadblocks, which was appreciated since most criminals used vehicles to get to and flee from crime scenes.
“On a positive note, I think she has affected the flow of things in how the police have been discharging their duties. I think she also had a lot of challenges with regard to her management of the police force, both within and without the force.
“I think they (the CoP and TTPS) are doing the best that they can. I don’t think the police are being lazy. I think they are putting themselves at risk when they go out there and face the public. And we see it on social media when they go into communities to apprehend people and so on, the kind of response that they get, which is quite dangerous and hostile at times.
“But that being said, on a higher level, when it comes to planning and policies (and) so on, are we seeing an improvement? By the end of her term, despite her best efforts, crime isn’t where we, the business community and citizens, would like it to be. I think much needs to be done because, with the crime situation as it is right now, people are in an uncomfortable position.”
Charran said that for each new commissioner, people expected change and improvements, including up-to-date technology and tools to fight crime. He questioned whether the next commissioner would be able to handle the country’s crime situation and the issues with the firearms users’ licence process.
[caption id="attachment_1058389" align="alignnone" width="646"] President of the Confederation of Regional Business Chambers Vivek Charran.[/caption]
He added that the fight against crime could not be placed solely on the shoulders of the police. He said there were also challenges in the prison and justice systems that needed to be resolved.
The confederation hoped for improvements in all the pubic systems, including that of out-of-date legislation.
Kiran Maharaj, president of the TT Chamber of Industry and Commerce, said she did not believe the average citizen was in a position to judge if Harewood-Christopher’s term was satisfactory or not but she admitted no one was satisfied crime was under control.
She said it was important to ask why and what holistic approach needed to be adopted.
“I am not confident we have really looked at the full picture in the right manner but I think there are attempts to get there collectively. I just wish it could be done in a more speedy fashion because there seems to be a lack of urgency sometimes. We can’t allow that so everybody needs to get involved in the process.”
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