FORMER commissioner of police (CoP) Gary Griffith told Newsday of his tough action against criminal extortion but lamented his initiatives had since been scrapped.
Newsday was unable to contact Minister of National Security Fitzgerald Hinds, Attorney General Reginald Armour or CoP Erla Harewood-Christopher.
Criminologist Dr Derek Chadee told Newsday that extortion hurt businesses by deterring investment and customers, and devastated communities and the wider society.
Moonilal said, "I call again for the development of a specialised multi-divisional unit in the police service to deal with extortion by gang members.
"That is a separate new offence now where gang members are asking businessmen in central Trinidad, in St Augustine, Tunapuna, along the corridor, for as much as $30,000 per month for 'protection'."
He said if businessmen opt not to pay, their families are exposed to kidnapping or being shot.
"This is a crisis we face now. We call upon the police service to establish a specialised unit to deal with extortion by gang members.
"We must go to the Parliament. We will look at this to ensure that we create new offences with heavy jail sentences and so on to deal with extortion, to deal with home invasion."
He also urged heavy penalties for home invasion, recalling the beating of a prominent attorney/former senator.
"We believe that we should ensure that members of the business community and citizens of Trinidad and Tobago generally who are qualified must obtain firearms and have legal weapons to protect themselves."
Moonilal complained of seeming inaction over women accessing pepper spray under the Firearms (Amendment) Act 2021.
In a WhatsApp to Newsday, he lamented businessman Kelvin Mohammed's murder for refusing to pay extortionists, saying his death exposed how dangerous and widespread extortion was.
"Mohammed was a hard-working businessman of Crown Trace, Enterprise, who, according to his relatives, had refused to pay a 'tax' to gangsters, he said. He was shot dead on Monday."
He lamented "increasing reports from various areas" of Trinidad and Tobago of gangsters extorting monthly sums from businessmen in return for not murdering or kidnapping them.
"A highly specialised and multi divisional unit is required to deal with this nefarious offence.
"What is needed is police officers with specialised training dealing with gangs, setting up sting operations, accessing special equipment, for example to tape conversations, video tape transactions, access to witness protection programme and access to foreign assistance to obtain hard evidence to prosecute."
He urged the Government to amend the law to create a specific offence, punishable by significant prison time.
"We have to upgrade the colonial offence of 'demanding money by menace' to now include under the Larceny Act the offence of 'extortion by gang members'.
"This must be defined in accordance with the use of technology to threaten and the more serious threat of kidnapping and murder."
Moonilal said, "I appeal to the au
