geisha.kowlessar@guardian.co.tt
The T&T Chamber of Industry and Commerce has joined with the T&T Manufacturers’ Association (TTMA) and the wider public in commending Police Commissioner Gary Griffith and the T&T Police Service (TTPS) for their crime reduction efforts.
In a statement yesterday, the Chamber noted that three months after his appointment as Commissioner, Griffith has brought a sense of hope to the public. including businessmen, and seems set to restore much-needed confidence in the TTPS.
“The Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce hopes that this will not only continue but that it will eventually result in a visibly measurable reduction in crime. “Commissioner Griffith and his team have declared their intention to use our tax dollars to attack crime and destroy crime networks wherever they may exist,” the Chamber said
However, the business group said the judiciary needs to be more efficient in dispensing justice in a timely manner.
“While we applaud this new energy in the TTPS, we also recognise that our country will not experience the level of crime reduction that it has been crying out for—and deserves—unless all elements of the justice system are working effectively and in sync.
“If, as we hope, the crime detection rate improves and more suspects are delivered to the courts, we have to expect that recent legislative changes to the justice system will translate into an equally dynamic response by our courts,” the Chamber said.
The Chamber said the business community and the citizens have suffered for far too long under a structure of criminal impunity and this has had a significant negative impact on the cost and ease of doing business.
The statement continued: “The T&T Chamber lauds Commissioner Griffith’s work so far and reiterates its commitment to work alongside him and his team to make our country as safe and as crime-free as possible.”