Brig Sandy: Zero tolerance on crime

Hours after the country was told of the reintroduction of the joint police and army patrols, National Security Minister, Brigadier John Sandy yesterday gave the nation the assurance that every effort was being made to bring crime down. He further assured that a zero tolerance approach had been adopted by law enforcement in its quest to deal with the criminal elements and that Wednesday’s anti-crime initiative had already yielded success.

Referring to the attempted robbery at the Bank of Baroda, Independence Square, Port-of-Spain on Wednesday night, Sandy said “I am high in praise for the officers who were out on a routine patrol and observed something suspicious and stopped. That is what proactive policing is all about and they were able to catch the perpetrators in the act.” Revealing that he often joined officers on duty to observe them at work, Sandy said “Last night was one of those occasions and by doing this, the morale of the officers remains high.”

 

Sandy said he met with officials from the Bank who also praised the officers for their quick work. Endorsing statements by Police Commissioner Dwayne Gibbs that the crime rate was down, Sandy said “I want to assure the national community that the police are working assiduously and conscientiously to bring down the crime rate by a greater margin than it is already down by.” Sandy said police exercises similar to those carried out on Wednesday night across the country will continue. “At certain times, we need to intensify operations and we have done that. It is now up to the young people to desist from killing each other,” he said.

 

Elaborating on the Fathers’ Fair which will be held at the Queen’s Park Savannah next Saturday from 1 pm, Sandy said the driving force behind the two-year-old programme came after he realised “there were so many young men without the influence of a father in their lives.” Hosted by the Ministry of National Security and under the patronage of President George Maxwell Richards—the fair promises to bring communities together, as well as strengthen and build ties amongst young men and their fathers. “It is time to show them they can compete in sports and culture, not guns and violence,” Sandy said. Extending an invitation to mothers and others to also attend the event, Sandy said “While the suppression aspect is necessary and that is what we saw last night (Wednesday), we need to talk to our children and let them know there are so many areas open to them for positive growth.”