The crime and murder rate in T&T is astronomical and things "are getting so bad," Attorney General Anand Ramlogan said yesterday."Some say it is already bad," Ramlogan added, as he piloted legislation to facilitate implementation of the death penalty which is already law in T&T.The bill seeks to define categories for which the death penalty will be applied.Ramlogan explained: "This bill seeks to plug some of the loopholes that have been exploited and manipulated by murderers."
Ramlogan said the situation in T&T bordered on "emergency," when one examined the casual way some crimes were committed."Blood is flowing like water and people are being killed like stray dog and cat-that is what we've inherited!"If we don't act responsibly in T&T's interest-including members opposite-it's either we swim together or we drown alone," Ramlogan added.He noted that 3,335 people have been murdered during 2001 to 2010.
"During 1995 to 2001, the average murder rate annually was about 100 murders except in 2001 when the figure reached 151...In 2002 to 2010, there was a dramatic increase."He noted murder figures which jumped from 172 in 2002 to 506 in 2009; and 472 in 2010."We aren't burying our heads in the sand...we're not here to talk about bogus kidnappings and collateral damage, we're coming clean with the population," Ramlogan said.He said the state had been unable to implement the death penalty since 1999 when the last executions were done because of the Privy Council's ruling on the Pratt and Morgan case.
Ramlogan said there were 33 people currently on death row and nine per cent of those might have their sentences commuted to life inprisonment .Ramlogan said the Privy Council was not against the death penalty, but was of the view that executions should not take as long as they did.He noted the length of time the State had to wait while appeals to international bodies and groups were processed. He said all of this led to frustration of T&T's death penalty laws.
Ramlogan cited the case ofJames Girod whose wife and two-year-old were killed years ago in Wallerfield.He said Girod was beyond psychiatric help and had become a "living dead, while the man who killed Girod's family had escaped the hangman's noose.Ramlogan also cited the case of Osmond Baboolal, of Williamsville, whose family, he said, was killed by the Dole Chadee gang.Although Baboolal's testimony assisted convictions in the case, Baboolal was left to drift aimlessly through life, Ramlogan said.He said if a referendum was held, the majority of the population would support implementation of the death penalty.