A letter by Dr David Salinger condemns the Attorney General, among others, as being responsible for allowing an alleged notorious criminal to remain loose since 2004, without explaining how he arrived at that conclusion. This opinion must be corrected before someone swears by it.In T&T, the prosecution of criminal activity is the responsibility of the police service and the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). When they fumble, criminal courts never get going and, when they do, take an excruciatingly long time to complete matters. Unlike in the USA, the Constitution does not allow attorneys general in T&T to oversee or direct the criminal justice system.
Significantly too, successful criminal prosecution is only possible with the willing co-operation of patriotic citizens who happen to witness criminal activity: for evildoers prosper/escape only when the righteous forget what being a good neighbour entails and so refuse to come forward, or worse yet, send the police down the wrong trail. Based on how the blood-curdling Brasso Seco story has gone, those points are very relevant and ought to serve as a forceful wakeup call for civil society.The third key leg in the process of dealing with criminals is the Judiciary. The adjudication of criminal proceedings is the sole domain of the Judiciary.
The Judiciary is independent: neither the Parliament nor the Government can tell judges or magistrates how to decide on any matter. Slack adjudication frustrates the living daylights out of every dedicated prosecutor and crime victim.Whenever criminal cases languish due to the absence/tardiness of magistrates and judges, the Chief Justice is the proper authority to fix the problem and to take the rap if the problem isn't fixed. Submitted, in the hope these comments will help clear up the misconceptions as to where blame lies.
Richard Wm Thomas,
Five Rivers, Arouca