Hinds blames citizens as murders cross 500

Senior Reporter

dareece.polo@guardian.co.tt

National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds has placed some blame on the public as the murder count has crossed 500.

Hinds and Minister in the Ministry of National Security Keith Scotland have faced criticism for the escalating crime rate, which hit the grim milestone on Tuesday. Experts are now predicting a record 650 murders by year-end.

In an interview with Guardian Media yesterday, however, Hinds said responsibility for crime does not lie solely with the authorities. He argued that criminals operate with impunity partly due to public complacency.

“It is the very public of Trinidad and Tobago, with a few exceptions, who are responsible for the violence of which we all complain. So, the very society that is affected by it, it is the very society that has produced and nurtured the children and those others who are perpetrating the levels of violence that you raise with me now reflecting in 500 murders,” he said.

“No guerrilla force, no insurgency, no paramilitary grouping, no gang can operate in any community without the knowledge of, the acquiescence or the cringing in fear of that gang or that group of insurgency or that guerrilla force. They are human bodies, the things they use are physical, they are around and about and the society can do a lot more in protecting itself from it rather than either cringing in fear or turning a blind eye or, worse still, being complicitous in those activities.”

Hinds said he hoped for Opposition support to pass legislation aimed at tackling crime, echoing the sentiment expressed by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley during his Budget contribution last Thursday.

Rowley called on the UNC’s five dissidents to back the passage of a Control Operations Bill that would empower law enforcement to conduct undercover operations and gather evidence. He also announced plans for a Firearms Amendment Bill intended to ban assault weapons and high-powered rifles.

Commenting on reports of criminals wearing clothing resembling police uniforms, Hinds could not confirm whether actual police kits were used but expressed confidence in the capabilities of law enforcement.

“What this calls for is a full-fledged total dedication of all of the resources to fight it, to push it back, and I have no doubt in my mind that we can, and we must,” he said.

He also noted that amendments to the Police Service Act 15:01, Defence Act, and Customs Act could be considered.

“If it is found that it is necessary to amend those laws to make them a lot tighter and more restrictive, that’s the point the Prime Minister was making in terms of getting the support of Parliament,” he said.

Hinds acknowledged the criticisms directed at him and Scotland and suggested that such expressions of frustration stem from genuine concern.

“I have to look at the entirety of their fears, so I’m not going to condemn people for saying that. But I know in my own intellect, that doesn’t answer all of the questions that need to be answered and, worse still, it does not achieve the level of work that all of us must put in,” he said, reiterating there is a need for a collective societal approach.

PNM MPs back Hinds and Scotland

Minister in the Ministry of Finance Brian Manning yesterday dismissed Opposition criticism of Hinds and Scotland.

“They have been trying to prevent us from implementing various, multiple national security and police bills that we have been attempting to introduce here in Parliament. They have been of no assistance, no help, and then when things aren’t going the way that we would like, they complain,” he said outside Parliament.

Manning commended Hinds and Scotland for their efforts, saying they “have been working extremely hard.”

He added, “I know their heart is in the right place and they have been doing exactly what they believe is best, as directed by the Cabinet and this Government, so that we can all live the kind of life that we want to in Trinidad and Tobago and feel more secure in our daily dealings.”

Senator Ancil Dennis echoed Hinds’ assertion that the Government is not solely to blame for the crime situation.

Speaking specifically about Tobago, which has recorded 25 murders so far this year, he said all sectors of society, including the Tobago House of Assembly (THA), bear some responsibility.

“The Government can only do so much, and with respect to Tobago, while the central government is responsible for national security, the THA will have some responsibility as well for Tobago’s internal security,” he said.

Dennis accused the THA of contributing to rising crime rates by failing to provide adequate employment opportunities for young people.

“I am quite disappointed with the management of Tobago’s economy at this time, where resources that should be spent in Tobago are not being spent in Tobago. Therefore, it’s taking away opportunities from young people, especially people who had opportunities available to them before for unemployment, for business et cetera, no longer has those opportunities and the question has to be asked ‘What impact did that have on Tobago’s current situation with crime?’” he asked.

He also noted that the THA is responsible for sports, youth programmes and community development, all of which can impact the island’s security.

UNC unimpressed with crime strategy

While Oropouche West MP Davendranath Tancoo agreed that crime is not solely a police issue, he accused the Government of failing to grasp the broader context. He said adding Scotland to the ministry had not made a tangible difference and without adequate resources for law enforcement and the judiciary, crime will continue to rise.

Tancoo argued that with inflation and other hardships afflicting citizens, crime is likely to escalate.

“When we have mass youth unemployment, when you have fathers who are desperately trying to find food for their children, things happen, and things are going in that direction now where desperation and frustration is causing persons to turn to crime as an option,” he said.

He recalled Rowley’s promise of $100 million for the T&T Defence Force (TTDF) to hire soldiers for a “special intervention” to combat crime in certain communities.

“There’s no allocation for that last year, and there’s no allocation for it this year. They promised to buy vehicles. They put an allocation in the budget last year and the years before that and have not been able to utilise the money; they used it for something else,” Tancoo said.

He also gave Hinds and Scotland failing grades.

“If ‘F’ is a failing grade, I would grade both of the ministers and the head of the National Security Council, who is the Prime Minister, with a ‘Z’. I don’t think we can get lower than Z,” he said.

St Augustine MP Khadijah Ameen said Scotland’s appointment had not yielded positive results.

“In fact, it is getting worse. The situation with the kidnapping, the fact that people are using police uniforms, makes it even more frightful,” she said.

Ameen said of Government’s handling of the problem, “They do not intend to get to the root of crime because it serves their political purpose. It appears to me that in their constituencies, where they can work with criminal elements to win an election, they are willing to do that.

“Keith Rowley cannot take charge of this country. Minister Hinds has been an abject failure as Minister of National Security, and Keith Scotland has made no difference.”

Scotland did not respond to requests for comment and Police Commissioner Erla Harewood-Christopher has remained silent on the latest crime statistics.

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