WITH an unprecedented 16 murders to date on the island, as of July 20, Tobagonians are predicting that its crime situation would continue to escalate despite the measures that are being implemented by the TT Police Service to reduce the scourge.
In fact, several of them who spoke to Newsday have even likened the island’s crime wave to the situation in Trinidad.
Entrepreneur Sharon Joseph (not her real name) opened a clothing and accessories store in Scarborough about one year ago.
At that time, she said she was drawn to Tobago’s beauty, serenity and low crime rate.
But Joseph is now questioning that decision.
“When I first came to Tobago, I used to boast about Tobago’s safety. I could leave my door open and everybody used to say the island is safe. You don’t have to worry about becoming harmed in any way. You could just go about your business and live freely. “But within that space of time, the crime has increased and I no longer feel safe. I feel like I am in Trinidad right now,” she said, a forlorn look covering her face.
Joseph noted the attempts being made by Police Commissioner Erla Harewood-Christopher to address specifically murders and gun violence, most of which are being carried out by gangs. But she believes there is still there is still the need to get to the root cause of the problem.
“I think the TTPS does not understand what the root problem is. So if they don’t understand what the problem is, how could they even solve it in the first place? What is the reason for the increase in crime? Why is it so out of control now compared to all of the years before?”
Joseph said crime also has affected her social life.
“When I first came here, I was happy. I felt so relieved. I didn’t have to look over my shoulder. I didn’t have to be as cautious as I was in Trinidad. But now I don’t have that thinking anymore.
“Now I have to think the same way as I was in Trinidad. Now I have to lock my doors, watch over my shoulders, make sure I go home a certain time, look at what taxis I am going in, look at the people around me, because it is not the same and this only happened in the space of a few months.”
Another female entrepreneur, who owns a bar in west Tobago, said she had developed a reputation for “pulling all-nighters.”
But those days, she said, are no more.
“I used to go all five in the morning on weekends. Here was like a dockside. But now by 9 pm we inside,” she said of her business place, which is known for its old school music and rootsy atmosphere.
She said not so long ago, some bar owners could have opened for long periods “but now you have to lock up because you are scared they might come at you next.
“The other day we heard it had three shootings – in Plymouth, Black Rock and Mt Pleasant -and we had to rush to close because we don’t know what is their aim. We just don’t feel safe as business owners.”
The woman, who has been in business for more than a decade, believes many perpetrators are not being arrested and charged because of their familial ties to police officers on
