United National Congress MP Roodal Moonilal has recommended measures to ensure incidents that led to recent deadly crimes at Housing Development Corporation locations do not spread to other HDC communities.
Meanwhile, MP Rudy Indarsingh says it’s an “abysmal disgrace” that after nine years in Government, Housing Minister Camille Robinson-Regis is only now speaking about security against crime in HDC areas.
And both have slammed National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds on the situation.
Yesterday, Moonilal said via a statement, “The authorities must be proactive and aggressive in ensuring that the deadly crimes at Harpe Place and Oropune Gardens and arson at Couva aren’t repeated or spread to other HDC districts.
“The new outbreak of fatal crimes at HDC residential communities is another dreadful result of the Government’s blatant failure to secure T&T. In light of the glaring and recurring failure of the incompetent Fitzgerald Hinds in the National Security Ministry, there’s even greater need for alternative measures to combat this evolving crime emergency.”
Moonilal said Government must urgently adopt a multi-pronged approach to stamping out the growing trend of vicious, lethal crimes in these housing districts.
He called for Government officials to follow up their public statements with prompt and effective action involving various State law enforcement agencies.
“In addition to the Police Service and other units of the protective service, residents of the respective communities must be engaged in an extensive and strategic response to the rampant violence. Police must assign surveillance equipment, competent police officers, and other essential resources to the respective housing districts, with prime focus on eradicating weapons, illegal drugs and arresting known criminals. The Government must make the HDC a forceful change agent in this crisis,” he added.
Indarsingh said he was pained, frustrated and felt a sense of terror at the arson attack committed against the Foster family in the Exchange Housing Development in his Couva constituency.
He was referring to the arson attack that led to the death of Tyrone Foster and injuries to three of his family members.
“Since this Government’s last promise to install fire escapes in HDC homes, we’re yet to see full materialisation of that necessary initiative,” he said.
Indarsingh alleged that Foster’s death came even as Hinds held a press conference recently to attack former police commissioner Gary Griffith.
“While Fitzgerald Hinds can fool his political diehards and apologists, the rest of Couva South and the country remains unsafe, fearful and T&T’s wellbeing has been uncertain because of the impact of the criminal wave that Hinds has allowed to occur,” Indarsingh said.
“It’s reprehensible and counterproductive that Minister Hinds spends his time attacking a former police commissioner rather than attacking criminals.”
Indarsingh also noted another arson attack against Couva business HSM Motors on Wednesday night.
“Plus, there was a robbery of a California supermarket in which a father and his children were made to lay on the floor while bandits with guns stole from the cashier. Neither private citizen nor corporate citizen is safe under Hinds and Rowley.”