Attorney Mario Merritt has condemned Police Commissioner Gary Griffith for defending his officers following last Thursday's shooting, which left five Laventille residents dead, before an investigation is conducted.
Speaking during yesterday CNC3 Morning Brew programme, Marrit questioned how Griffith could possibly be aming such statement now.
"You have to wonder why is that happening?" he asked.
Merritt said Griffith was not the T&T Police Service's cheerleader but rather said things ought to be done in the correct way.
While there have been mixed views from the public about the killings, Merritt said, "We all want safety...but we also want safety not from just the criminals...we want it from the State. We want to know we don't have to worry about the police going too far with us and our children."
Told that citizens believe Griffith has the right to go into certain communities and declare war, Merritt said for the police to do that would go against its own motto - To protect and Serve.
"The escalation of violence does not stop by you saying you going to war," Merrit said, adding that if the police are met with gunfire they have a right to protect themselves but it ought to be done in a justified way.
"I have no difficulty in criminals being locked up...I have a difficulty with people in power not doing their job right because when that happens everything falls apart."
However, Merritt noted that had the police been wearing body cameras it would have revealed what really transpired. He said the message being sent was that in order to be safe you must give up your rights.
"You must shut up and take what the police do because it is our safety. Safety, yes, but it leads to a spiralling precipice we are going down."
Also critical of the killings was attorney Wayne Sturge, who asked on Facebook, "Who decides who are cockroaches due for extermination?"
But Griffith, who also spoke on the CNC3 programme yesterday, again stood by his statements, assuring that the police will not lose their war on crime.
While Griffith insisted that lawyers benefit the most from the existence of criminals, Merritt described his comment as an "absurd position" and "a foolish argument."
"Decent men can disagree without looking for sinister motives," Merritt said.
Merritt drew reference Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, who called on the police to kill every drug dealer and user following his inauguration in 2016.
"But who else is getting put down ...other people, journalists, judges... they are all feeling his weight. It starts off with the little cockroaches but it moves to everybody," Merritt said.