Evildoers ripping nation apart

Dear Madam Prime Minister, I am almost 100 per cent certain that this crime-beleaguered nation stands fully behind you in this, your government’s latest attack on the criminal elements who feel they have an untrammelled right to maim, kill, injure, anybody, anytime, any place. I am referring specifically to your proposal for the commission of a crime with the use of a gun to soon become a non-bailable offence.

This is not a new idea Mrs Kamla Persad-Bissessar, as over the years people in the legal profession, lay people and journalists have been clamouring, without luck, to have this provision put on the statute books. 

It is no secret that these trigger-happy gunmen make a living out of terrorising innocent citizens. It is also no secret that there is a thriving gun-for-hire enterprise where young criminals are rented these firearms to “put down wuk” including murders, and like any other enterprise, bonuses are awarded based on the “returns” of the investment” made by the owner/s of the weapon.

So you see, we are living in a daily hell no matter how we look at it, Madam Prime Minister, and we have to do something about getting rid of the large number of those illegal weapons of mass civil destruction in circulation. The sooner the better. Placing such an offence on the statute books is long overdue and let me give you an example of what I am talking about—and I am saying this simply because it happened to the Raphael family a couple years ago.

Three young scums of the earth broke into our home and proceeded to pack a vehicle with items it appears we were holding in safekeeping for the bandits. Fortunately, while they were doing so, a taxi driver observed the commotion and immediately informed the nearby St Joseph Police Station, from which officers arrived on the scene in quick time.

Unfortunately they shot only one of the bandits, the one with the gun on his foot, and he was captured at the scene, with the other two being held the following day. But Madam Prime Minister do you know what was the upshot of this sickening episode? All three were out on bail for a similar offence and would you believe, they got bail for this latest offence?

Madam Prime Minister, one of the pillars on which the People’s Partnership was voted into office was the speedy delivery of justice, but the people are yet to see any tangible sign of this coming to pass any time soon. 

And Prime Minister, we don’t want to hear anything about one, two or three strikes and you are out—the crime epidemic has reached critical proportions and the moment you commit the first offence, straight in the slammer for you. Can you imagine the further damage they could inflict on us while we playing a count-down game with these goons from a planet in hell? 

Madam Prime Minister, I was pleasantly surprised to see the Opposition MP for Port-of-Spain South, Marlene MacDonald, throwing her support behind this no-bail measure, because let’s face the hard cold fact: this is not a government or opposition thing, this is a people’s thing where the soul of the nation is being ripped apart by these children of the devil bent on carrying out his evil deeds.  

For coming out so swiftly with this stance Ms McDonald must be highly commended for putting the nation’s welfare above petty party politics. One other item I want to comment on today is the highly professional manner in which the police and other security personnel handled the unfortunate incident involving the mother and her two children last Sunday at Sea Lots.

In spite of those who know better, particularly one so-called television talk show host who tried to further emotionally ignite the angry crowd,  if the police had not taken preventive action, the situation could have been turned into one major calamity. I admired their professionalism under those volatile circumstances and today I feel so proud of the men and women of the T&T Police Service who performed so magnificently that day.

• Next week: What crap is this about bringing back foreigners to head the T&T Police Service?