THE EDITOR: With all of the bad press the TTPS has, quite justifiably, been getting, what with police prosecutors being derelict in their duties and letting their 12 colleagues off the hook on some very serious criminal charges, I found it refreshing to see some good news regarding policing in the papers for a change.
I refer to two stories published earlier this week in the Newsday, one being the fact that there were no murders recorded in Tobago for the past 40-plus days. This is quite a remarkable feat, given that this year has seen Tobago setting a new record high of 25 murders committed in a calendar year.
The second story was the $40 million drug bust. The officers in the Tobago Division must be commended for this interdiction, which saw two men being arrested along with the seizure of packets of cocaine and marijuana as well as a cache of arms and ammunition.
While this is indeed some good news, when it comes to police actually doing their work, the $40 million drug bust brings into sharp focus a worrying fact – Tobago is no longer the paradise we all knew it to be. In a sad sense, Tobago has grown up and is no longer the innocent child known for sand, sea and sun.
Tobago is now an adult in the world of organised crime.
The fact that $40 million worth in drugs, and not $40 or $400 worth, could be seized shows that Tobago is now (and perhaps has been for quite some time) an important route for drug smugglers. Who is to say this is also not the case for arms smugglers or even human traffickers?
It is worth noting the timeframe of this recent explosion of murders and gangland activities taking place in the island, as it is possible there may be a correlation to its becoming a greater focus of attention for organised crime and those involved in the "business."
Where there is drugs, there follows crime and violence. It is the same around the world, in Trinidad and now in Tobago.
It is my hope that the police in Tobago as well as the island's administrators come to the realisation that this drug bust was not a one-off. Tobago, given its close proximity to Grenada and Barbados, surely presents an opportunity that is too great to be ignored by criminals.
One aspect of modern-day policing is the ability to be flexible and the willingness to change and adjust strategies when such change is needed. The days of patrolling the beaches and ensuring the tourists don't get lost are over.
Tobago police must adjust and change with the times. Tobago police must recognise that they must see their jurisdiction as one where criminals are operating and demanding their own share of space and opportunity.
Tobago police must do all in their power to see that this does not happen. They must do their very best to limit opportunities for criminals, especially those in organised crime, to flourish.
The fact that the Tobago Police Division has been able to oversee the past 40-plus days of no serious crimes in the island, including murders, and the fact that they were able to make this major drug bust, shows that
