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National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds at Tuesday’s PNM public meeting at the Belmont Community Centre, Jerningham Avenue. – Angelo Marcelle
As of August 22, TT recorded 7,855 cases of serious crimes including 378 murders and 456 shootings and woundings.
National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds made the statement on Tuesday night at a People’s National Movement national public meeting in Belmont. He said Trinidad and Tobago had several challenges with crime, but the major ones were border security, guns, and gangs.
He said of the 378 murders this year 26 arose out of altercations, five from property disputes, seven were cases of domestic violence, 62 were drug-related, 141 involved gangs, 43 were revenge-related, one police/prison officer was killed in the line of duty, one woman during a rape, 38 people during robberies, and 34 were unclassified.
There were 25 multiple murders, including 21 double murders, three triple murders, and a quadruple murder. And out of those 25 multiple murders there were 76 offences – 55 murders, and 21 shootings and woundings.
There were also 420 weapons seized, including 76 revolvers, 244 pistols, 20 shotguns, 54 assault rifles, five sub-machine guns, and 20 homemade shotguns.
“I understand the trauma TT is going through, but I want to say to you frankly it is serious business. It wasn’t created overnight and it would not be eradicated overnight. We have to be vigilant. We have to fight, and fight we (the PNM) will (in Parliament).”
Hinds said even though the government increased the number of judges and magistrates in the court system, matters could be filed in the magistrates’ court electronically, and there were virtual court centres, the justice system works too slowly.
He added it was disheartening when the police did their jobs to catch criminals and the guilty people were given small fines or minimal sentences.
“There’s no way the Executive or the Parliament could tell the Judiciary what to do and how to sentence someone. But I just simply want to record that gun-carrying is murderous and bloody, and we would like to see the provisions of the law implemented optimally sometimes to send clear messages, especially since we are not getting the support of the Opposition in the Parliament, on behalf of you, to put in place the laws we want to.”
In an effort to both prevent and suppress crime, Hinds highlighted several government initiatives including a facility in the Youth Transformation and Rehabilitation Centre for females with a learning centre, the Homestead programme providing agricultural training and eventually land, and numerous other programmes in sports, religion, academics and skills for children and adults.
Hinds said the government outfitted the police Coastal and Riverine Patrol Unit, procured new offshore patrol vessels, drones, a radar system, and the police were undertaking a major gun-retrieval exercise.
He said the country would soon have radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology which could identify number plates associated with vehicle owners and identify people inside vehicles.
There were also 1,796 operating cameras on the roads, 2,500 modern updated cameras were being installed, and the government was in negotiations for a further 2,500 cameras.
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