(Trinidad Express) Attorney General Anand Ramlogan yesterday expressed disappointment over the recent spate of murders and admitted that it was “troubling” that post State of Emergency (SoE)measures by Police Commissioner Dwayne Gibbs have failed.
Ramlogan was responding to questions from the media yesterday at the post-Cabinet press conference at the Diplomatic Centre in St Ann’s.
Asked about the strategies that were supposed to be implemented to avoid any sort of backlash once the SoE was lifted, Ramlogan responded: “The Commissioner of Police will be the best person to explain what measures were introduced post State of Emergency to prevent this from happening and why those measures have failed and what he intends to do about it.”
Ramlogan said that records show there is usually an increase in crime during the Christmas period, however, he said it was “unusual” that this crime spike came on the heels of the SoE.
“There should have been some plans to deal with it, anticipate it and that is why perhaps it’s a little troubling at this time,” said Ramlogan.
Ramlogan said he is looking forward to the next national security meeting where he can hear of Gibbs’ crime plans.
“…The Government is very concerned in the spike of the murder rate post State of Emergency. I for one am very anxious to hear from the Commissioner of Police who had the benefit of a year to settle into the job and who we hoped to have brought fresh ideas and new perspective to be able to help us to solve the crime problem,” he said.
“The concept of 21st century policing has been bandied about and I am naturally disappointed in the spike of the murder rate post the State of Emergency. We intend to ask certainly for the plans that would lead to the suppression of this spike from the Commissioner of Police,” he added.
Asked specifically if Government was disappointed in the performance of Gibbs, a Canadian national, Ramlogan said, “It would be improper for me to make any such comment given the fact that the Government is not the constitutional body that is responsible for evaluating the performance of the Commissioner of Police, that is in fact the job of the Police Service Commission to whom that question ought to be posed.”
Ramlogan said on the flip side the crime spate shows how necessary the SoE was as he pointed out that this year marked the first time in three years that the murder rate has been reduced.
Ramlogan said this was not something to rejoice about but it is cause for “quiet and hopeful optimism” and proves the Government is on the right track and did something right which could be built upon in 2012.
Earlier this week, upon his return from vacation, Gibbs told the Express it was his wish for 2012 for crime to be reduced in this country.
“We are hoping to expand on all of our policing initiatives especially dealing with the 21st Century Policing Initiative. My wish for 2012 is to have crime way down in the sense that we see people trying to work together and not solve their differences by killing each other and for the country to flourish economically and politically,” Gibbs said.
