Against a background of nine murders in the first three days of 2014, I think it is instructive that already, after about three weeks, five suspects are in the hands of the British police for the Pear D cocaine-laced murder.This is remarkable bearing in mind that it was not such a clear-cut case like one of being caught in the act, but rather one which would have required considerable "forensics", not forgetting, of course, the will and the commitment required to solve the crime.The comparison is obviously unfair because of the unequal terms between First and Third World which we obviously are, but it points to a British system which tells you in no uncertain terms that you can't get away with murder. The absence of such a system is the root cause of the killing fields which T&T has become.
I will not belabour the usual points such as limited investigative capacity, corruption in the system, community role in crime, inter alia, which enable the criminal to believe that he can literally get away with murder, but will point to one which is usually taken for granted but which is more potent in reinforcing this perception among criminals.If for example, a corporate entity can evade its liability for a major tragedy with all kinds of manoeuvring, some particularly contemptuous of the intelligence of the average citizen; if similar manoeuvres are evident on the issue of false qualifications with no consequences attached; if principals can misuse people's hard earned money escaping criminal prosecution to date; if prosecutorial efforts against two individuals accused of corruption can continue ad infinitum; if, to be more down to earth, it was revealed that two construction units were purchased under one invoice with no further investigation forthcoming, then what withholds the criminal from thinking that he has much more than an inept criminal justice system to urge him on.So with all the indignation about nine murders in three days and all the talk-shop solutions, we must prepare for more, for until there is a combination of strategies to make it uncompromisingly clear to the criminal that he can't get away with murder, as in the UK situation, nothing will ever change.
Dr Errol Benjamin,
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