8-year-old gangsters
Commissioner of Police (CoP) Erla Harewood-Christopher is warning parents whose children are involved in criminal activities, that they can and will be held accountable for their offspring’s actions.
She made the comment during a media briefing at the Ministry of National Security, Port-of-Spain, yesterday, after it was announced that two eight-year-olds were part of an extortion ring operating in various parts of the country.
A tough-talking CoP said they will be using every available method, including legislation to reign in truant children, as well as errant parents.
Harewood-Christopher said, “We want to advise the parents, because we have children involved in criminal activities, and we are going to use the legislation and hold parents accountable for the activities of their children.”
Earlier, Senior Superintendent, North Central Division, Richard Smith, said parents must know where their children are, as he too warned that they would be taking them to task if their young ones are found engaging in criminal activities.
He revealed that several young people were recently held in an extortion attempt in his division.
Smith said, “The description of the three persons who went to extort or demand money from a particular businessman was one person between the ages of 17 and 22, and two around the age of eight years.”
Smith challenged parents to ensure they know their children’s whereabouts at all times.
National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds and Minister in the Ministry of National Security Keith Scotland both assured there were various pieces of legislation that enabled the TTPS to act on not only children but their parents.
Expressing concern after learning from one of his constituents that children of primary school age could be found on the streets as early or late as 3 am, Hinds said, “That is a straight question for parents.”
Scotland also referred to a viral recording of three students gambling in a classroom as the teacher conducted a class, which was circulated earlier this week, saying it was disturbing.
He said this was an indication of just how dire the situation had become and how brazen younger persons were now.
CoP: Homicides up but success recorded
Asked if she agreed the TTPS had crime under control, as had been claimed by Deputy Police Commissioner Junior Benjamin the day before, the CoP said, “Yes, we have acknowledged that the homicides are out of hand, but we have also acknowledged our successes in terms of violent crime reduction.”
Confronted with a murder toll that stood at 431 for the year up to the time of the briefing, she said, “You also need to know that although we are judged on that singular index of homicides, there are other offences under violent and serious crimes.”
Asked to assess the success of her call for citizens to pray in the fight against crime, Harewood-Christopher said along with intensified efforts by the TTPS, the population should continue to pray.
“I am saying again, you do not discount the value of prayer,” she said.
Saying there was disparity in the murder statistics released by the TTPS, which were always “lagging,” and those of online media outlets, which left many believing the figures were being doctored by the police daily, the CoP said, “I can assure the national community that the Police Service is an organisation that focuses on honesty and integrity. Our department, CAPA, is responsible for the compilation of statistics and I want to assure the national community that though you say statistics are up, let me advise on this. We have an increase in murders and we have a decrease in shootings and woundings.”
Harewood-Christopher said they had recorded a 15 per cent reduction in violent crimes; serious reported crimes were down by 15 per cent; and there was a ten per cent decline in woundings and shootings for the year so far.
She said the current detection rate for murders stood at 11.7 per cent, which was a slight drop from the 12 per cent previously recorded.
However, she assured, “With every day that passes and with our continued investigation, we solve, and you have to remember even though we solve based on one figure, even if we get more murders, then it will be greater.”
Asked if he agreed that the TTPS had crime under control, National Security Minister Hinds responded, “Crime is a function of human behaviour, the sinful nature of the human being. It has been with us since the beginning of time and it continues, and therefore the struggle, the fight against crime is an ongoing pursuit.”
He added, “That struggle continues in T&T.”
Insisting intensified efforts by law enforcement had to work, Hinds added, “The response to the behaviour of our citizens who commit crimes, bloody crimes, and the response to those who come into Trinidad and Tobago and commit bloody crimes, must continue.”
Even as he admitted the authorities had been seeing some success, he said, “It is not a perfect world and you don’t get a perfect non-criminal, crime-free society, so it is a work that has to continue.”
Asked later on if the question of a state of emergency had arisen during Thursday’s meeting of the National Security Council, Hinds said the only decision taken had been to report to the nation on their efforts to fight crime.
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