The brazen attacks on businesses and homes across Trinidad continue unabated, raising the level of fear and trepidation.
This fear has already served to handicap many of us into reducing our exposure to public places where we could be in the wrong place at the wrong time. We are likely to remain trapped in this mindset if something serious is not done to change this situation.
We all welcomed the appointment new Commissioner of Police in Gary Griffith, but we are concerned that his honeymoon is already over. His constant utterances have generated the kind of concerns that do not bode well for his early efforts at transforming the Police Service.
However, we are determined to continue to support the service in their whole drive to reduce the level of criminal activity, particularly in Trinidad.
The anxiety that has built up with the continuing upsurge in criminal activity demands an immediate deployment across the country of the recently launched Emergency Response Patrol. Using the intelligence that Griffith talks so much about, the patrols should target those areas which are run by the criminal gangs.
Stopping the criminals demands an expanded response from law enforcement and the cooperation of the public if we are to reduce the levels of anxiety that could lead to a crippling paralysis of fear.
Picture of T&T not good
There is no comfort in reading an international publication that lists Trinidad and Tobago as one of the most dangerous places in the world.
We would wish to correct the record on two counts, the first being that the situation reporting concerns Trinidad and not Tobago.
That too is not a distinction we should have to make since it should not give Tobagonians any more comfort.
The second is that though we have a high level of crimes against the person, most of these have been either gang on gang, aggravated robbery or the product of domestic violence.
The focus on life in Trinidad will continue to be disquieting because it is not something that gives any sense of pride. There appears to be an absence of the ability to resolve disputes, exercise of patience, an abundance of greed and an unwillingness to acquire wealth by application to hard and diligent work.
After all, one of the words in our national pledge is about tolerance, a commodity that seems in very short supply.
Ola showed the way
The winners of the Green Screen’s Very Short Shorts Mobile Film Competition showed us the tremendous young talent that abounds in this highly creative nation.
It is a further reminder of the need for the kind of thrust in the creative sector to provide a platform for the fresh and dynamic talent that is emerging from our training institutions. Olatunji Yearwood showed us how.