Weighing in on the rampant crime in the country, former US Marine Rodney Sammy-Guilarte said Police Commissioner Gary Griffith needs to have the full moral support from the Government in order to bring the situation under control.
Speaking on CNC 3’s Morning Brew, Sammy-Guilarte said: “The commissioner is fighting a battle on multiple fronts - it’s like 4D chess, he’s on multiple levels. The Government needs to be absolute in their support of him. I’m not saying to condone every single thing that is said or done but their moral and political support has to be absolute.”
He said there is an onus on the Government to network and connect with communities to ensure there is trust in the police and the commissioner.
Though he admitted there has been numerous police violations in the past which broke that trust he said, “If we don’t rebuild those bridges, then having bigger guns and better training is gonna do nothing. All you’re gonna do is have a suped-up police force.”
This is part of what he said is a two- part approach to the problem. The other element, he explained, was that the country’s borders needed to be secured.
He said, “You have to start from within and without. So your outer tier of protection is your borders. If the Coast Guard is not patrolling—look at those seven fishermen— what happens?
Sammy-Guilarte is a former Naparima College student.
He studied criminology at Arizona College, owns Spearhead Defence LLC and has led teams in combat in Afghanistan during his time in the US Armed Forces.