The Fyzabad Chamber of commerce and the Couva Chamber of commerce are calling for more investment in crime fighting and no more new taxes in the upcoming budget, carded to be presented in Parliament on October 2.
Angela Jairam, Fyzabad Chamber president and CEO of DNA & Associates Ltd, said while other issues needed to be dealt with - such as implementing high-tech farming to attract young people, developing the tourism sector and increasing talent in vocational courses such as carpentry - none of those issues would be treated with fully if the government did not "fix" crime.
Jairam said a full revamp of the crime-fighting strategies implemented by police and security forces might be needed, because with 506 murders last year and 424 murders for the year to date, it was clear the current approach was not working.
She said, 'When a business person makes an investment, they are taking a risk.
"You are not guaranteed a sale or a return on investment when the day comes, but when you add crime to the equation, that makes it all the more difficult.
'We are not free to do business the way we want to. We have to close early and put more security measures in place. Even customers are not comfortable enough to come and shop after certain hours.
"How does the government expect businesses to operate under those conditions?'
Head of the Couva Chamber of Commerce and managing director of the Metro Hotel in Couva, Mukesh Ramsingh, said more investment was needed in crime fighting and detection, noting that there was a reduction in allocations for National Security in the 2022/2023 budget when compared with the year before.
'When we look at allocations for ministries it gives an indication in what the government is pushing. When you see a drop in allocations it means they are not taking the situation as seriously as they should.'
In the 2022/2023 budget the Ministry of National Security was allocated $2.225 billion of an overall $57.685 billion budget. The year before, National Security got $2.202 billion from a $49.573 billion budget.
Ramsingh said more investment was needed in forensics and establishing harsher laws for criminal activities.
'One of the reasons people commit crime is because they believe they can get away with it.
"Our chamber, particularly, always has been advocating for changing legislation. We always hear that the CoP (Commissioner of Police) and police and officers of the security forces are operating within the law... but if the law doesn't provide for them to take different measures then nothing is going to change.'
Ramsingh said using video as evidence, for example, while it was admissible in court, its use was also weighed down by red tape.
'People would prefer to go on Ian Alleyne or one of those shows rather than use it in court to get a conviction.'
An article written on the Martin George and Company Attorney at Law's website indicated that sections 35-37 of the interception of communications act - an act which treats with the interception of communicat
