THE EDITOR: Before I had the opportunity to respond to another of the idiotic statements from the TTPS on why police officers cannot use the body cams, we were hit with the dash cam video of the fatal crash in which the Kiss truck driver.
The funeral of Neil Ballai, an already sad incident, was compounded by it coinciding with his wedding anniversary.
The daily carnage in the form of multiple murders across the once peaceful landscape is taking a toll on the nation’s psyche. The cries of mothers pleading “he was a good boy” have been ridiculed. It appears the police have abandoned their responsibilities. The business community cries out for help, with DOMA leading the call. The headline screams, “Port of Spain bracing for ‘war.’”
The National Security Minister, pontificating from his ivory tower, claims that it is not his responsibility to ensure the safety of citizens. Weekends seem to be a good time for multiple murders, as the TTPS calculates and announces on Monday mornings the number of people murdered over the weekend.
The profile of the victims is no longer just “young men of African descent” from known “hot spots.” They now include elderly citizens killed in home invasions, senior citizens robbed of their pension, homes and business places ransacked, where victims are tied up and shot, strangled, or suffocated. They also include children of varying ages.
On waking to the news of a four-year-old being decapitated, we are told that “members of the TTPS may need counselling.” This is the same TTPS that has been ignoring earlier trends in murders as we watch the annual escalation.
The TTPS justifies its massive and collective incompetence under the preface of manpower shortage, vehicle shortage, equipment shortage. Its less than ten per cent murder detection rate appears to be quite acceptable to all and sundry.
I have stated time and again, a crime detected is not a crime solved. Detection can mean pulling in anyone from anywhere. Given the history of abuse by police officers, as evidenced in lawsuits and payouts, anything is possible.
Murder convictions usually come ten-15 years after someone has been charged. And many times the individuals are found not guilty, often resulting in additional lawsuits. Meanwhile, this is the same TTPS that has a 100 per cent reported and detected rate on narcotics. Manipulating numbers seem to be one of its better abilities.
And, of course, several cases are “cleared up” when one individual is murdered. We later learn that Willie Whatshisname was “a prime suspect and was wanted in connection with several murders. Funny, but the same Willie was seen bar-hopping for the past three years, even hanging out with police officers, buying drinks.
From where I sit as a professional, albeit retired, the escalation of murders directly correlate to several factors. The major factor would be the ease with which individuals escape detection. Everyone knows the police schedule, even their roadblock exercises are really exercises in futility.
Another and much deeper co
