Black Immigrant Daily News

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Chinese ambassador to TT Fang Qiu, right, responds to a question during a media briefing at the Chinese Embassy, Long Circular Road, St James, on Wednesday morning as counsellor Lichun Zhou looks on. – Shane Superville

While officials from the Chinese embassy in Trinidad have taken note of the escalating crime situation in Trinidad and Tobago, they are confident that the authorities are capable of adequately protecting citizens.

Speaking during a media briefing on the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China at the Chinese embassy, Long Circular Road, Maraval, on Monday, ambassador Fang Qiu outlined several areas of interest where his country and TT can collaborate.

Among these were areas of law enforcement as he noted that personnel exchanges and capacity-building exercises were possible between Chinese police and the TTPS.

Asked their thoughts on the issue of crime in TT, political counsellor at the Chinese Embassy Yang Han said officials were aware of the difficulties and were optimistic the government would maintain order.

“Our embassy is closely following the challenging situation in terms of security that TT is facing and we have noted the efforts of the TT government.

“We are confident that TT is capable of taking appropriate measures to continue to improve social security and increase a living environment for all people including the Chinese community.

Political counsellor for the Chinese Embassy Yang Han, right responds to a question during a media briefing at the Chinese Embassy, Long Circular Road, Maraval, on Wednesday. – Shane Superville

“As his excellency the ambassador Fang Qiu said that we are having co-operation with the TT government in terms of guaranteeing social security, in fact over the years China has conducted close police and law enforcement co-operation with TT which has played a very positive role in the capacity-building of the TTPS.”

Referring to China’s donation of 200 motorcycles to the police in 2019, Han said it was one example of China’s willingness to assist TT in material resources and exercises for local officers.

For his part, Qiu said maintaining security and strengthening law enforcement capacities was an important to China and stressed the importance of co-operation between both countries.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

Par Anthony BASSIEN-CAPSA
a.bassien-capsa@agmedias.fr

Vincent Waltregny, directeur de La Créole Beach Hôtel • DOMINIQUE CHOMEREAU-LAMOTTE

En ces vacances de la Toussaint, le nombre de touristes visitant notre archipel est plutôt faible. La Route du Rhum pourrait-elle renverser la tendance ?

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Black Immigrant Daily News

Sainte-Anne

Pour Bernard la Toussaint devient une fête commerciale. • KA

Les visiteurs du cimetière de Sainte-Anne était nombreux en ce 1er novembre. La Toussaint est une tradition chère et transmise aux plus jeunes. Nettoyer les tombes, rencontrer la famille, accorder du temps et parler des disparus sont les actes les plus souvent cités. Beaucoup expliquent que les défunts restent présents dans leurs souvenirs quotidiens mais ce jour est essentiel pour les partager.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

In what the police are describing as “particularly troubling”, children between ages 15 and 17 have been charged with 875 major crimes over the last four years.

This was disclosed by Police Commissioner, Major General Antony Anderson, at the Jamaica Constabulary Force’s (JCF) monthly media briefing on Tuesday.

“In recent weeks, we’ve been dissecting the crime figures and looking more closely at both perpetrators and victims.

“When we examine children as the perpetrators of major crimes, some concerns begin to emerge,” Anderson pointed out.

He noted that though a child, by definition, is a person below the age of 18 years, “most of the perpetrators in this category are between 15 and 17 years old”.

For the four-year period of 2019 to present, children have been slapped with 79 murder charges and 66 shooting charges, Anderson informed.

“A total of 175 children have been charged with rape over the period. There have been 256 charges for breaches of the Firearms Act, 175 for break-ins, 89 for robbery, and 65 for aggravated assault,” he outlined.

“These individuals, if we do not act collectively, are getting into an early career of violence and crime.

“We are bringing this to the nation’s attention, because as a society, we have to decide how we are going to save them,” stated Anderson.

Major General Antony Anderson (file photo)

In furtherance of that point, the commissioner explained that as a constabulary, they also took the initiative of informing the nation relative to these trends “associated with the pandemic of violence impacting our country”, to “demand collective responsibility and action if we are to make a sustained change in behaviour.”

He added that, “We have a responsibility to investigate every crime, but there are some that are particularly troubling.”

Despite the troubling trend relative to children, Anderson reminded that the police have formed various early intervention strategies through its Community Safety and Security Branch (CSSB) and programmes such as the police youth clubs.

He advised, as well, of the police’s collaborative efforts with the Education and Youth Ministry and its safe school’s programme.

“However, we all must take this matter (children as perpetrators of crime) more seriously.

“The pandemic of violence is affecting our children; they are not merely innocent victims of violence. In far too many instances, children and adolescents are actually the perpetrators themselves,” Anderson reiterated.

The top law enforcer also stressed the importance of “all institutions of society” being vigilant towards the issues and engage in early surveillance of children in the home, school or elsewhere, to identify the early signs of violent tendencies.

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