OROPOUCHE East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal is calling for an investigation into reports of police involvement in brokering a peace deal with leaders of the Sixx and Rasta City gangs.

Moonilal said the investigation must be independent of the police, as there seemed to be a history of such allegations in the service.

The call was supported by Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar as they spoke at a cottage meeting in Couva South on Monday night.

Deputy political leader Jearlean John said  she was all for peace, “because we are paralysed with fear about home invasions, horrified by the vicious beatings and rape of teenage girls, the murders of mostly young, black men between the ages of 14 -30 years.

“What is urgently needed is piece of training and education, piece of jobs, a piece of forex (foreign exchange) to sustain small business, and opportunity of a piece of the pie for every single citizen.”

Persad-Bissessar questioned the inability of the police and government to make a move against criminal gangs.

“Do they have the potential to blackmail you?

“If you know there are gang men, why don’t you lock them up?

“You are handling these bandits with kid gloves,” she said, recalling the pressure by former attorney general Faris Al-Rawi for the Opposition to support the anti-gang legislation, accusing the UNC of obstructing the process.

She recalled Al-Rawi promising once the legislation was passed, the authorities would pick up every single gang member, as they knew their names and addresses.

“Have they picked up a single one yet? None.

“Right now, you are brokering and negotiating with bandits and gangs. You are making peace with them. What the hell you be should doing is locking them up! Put them behind bars!”

Instead, she said, government was “making love” with the gangs.

She said crime had created an undeclared civil war in once-peaceful TT.

“We are the world’s most dreadful non-war killing zone.

“We are a killing field, and, as Jearlean John said, it is the young ones who are being wiped out. A whole lost generation.”

Questioning why the Prime Minister was “ducking and running from crime talks,” Persad-Bissessar again asserted her willingness to meet with him “anywhere, any time, any place, any day.

“We are not afraid of you .We have the plans, we have the policy, we have the programmes, we have the track record.”

She claimed that under her People’s Partnership (PP) administration, crime was brought down to its lowest rate in 30 years.

Although Dr Rowley said he could not understand why Persad-Bissessar refused to meet with his representatives, insisting she meet with him, the Opposition Leader refused to meet with AG Reginald Armour.

Saying the PM had declared crime a public health emergency, Persad-Bissessar said millions spent in symposiums had yielded no benefits.

She questioned why Rowley wanted to select the stakeholders to engage in the crime discussion, but exclude Gary Griffith, a former police commissioner and national security minister the UNC wanted on its team