(Trinidad Express) As the Government grapples with the rising murder toll, it is moving “quickly” to bring legislation to deny bail to anyone found with illegal firearms or drugs in any quantity.
Under the current law, there is a three-strikes rule (a person must have three such offences) before the no-bail provision kicks in.
Concerned about the horrifying murders and the apparent spike in the murder toll, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar yesterday summoned heads of the Police Service and Army to a meeting at her Parliament office to discuss the crime situation and proposals aimed at addressing it.
After an “intense” meeting, Persad-Bissessar announced that the team had agreed to “increase the visibility” of the joint patrols and road blocks “as of today”.
The country can expect more road blocks, a significant increase in joint police-army patrols (on foot and vehicular) as well as an increase in air patrols.
“I hope that with the increased visibility we can bring a sense of comfort to our citizenry that there are more personnel out there looking after their interests in terms of protective services,” Persad-Bissessar stated.
In addition, Government would bring “quickly” to the Parliament legislation for making the possession of firearms and the possession of drugs non-bailable offences. The legislation would also change the sentencing for such offences from discretionary to mandatory, she said. “Such legislation should be relatively simple,” she added.
On Thursday night at a press conference at Piarco International Airport shortly after her return from Haiti, the Prime Minister said Government was moving toward the precepting of soldiers.
She said there was a reluctance on the part of the former police commissioner (Dwayne Gibbs) to implement such an initiative, and this had slowed down the adoption of this idea. She said the Government had to find creative ways of dealing with the crime situation.
Attorney General Anand Ramlogan told the Express he would be taking the note to Cabinet next week for the no-bail provision and for the precepting of soldiers “with police training”.
“I would be treating with this as a matter of urgency,” he said. Noting that there was a three-strikes provision, he said: “That means that three (or more) lives could be lost before you reach the no-bail provision. You can take a life with a firearm. People are terrified and the situation calls for tough measures. We were treating with the softer (social) side, but you must balance it with tough laws.”
He said Justice Minister Christlyn Moore was working assiduously to put in place the infrastructure necessary for the implementation of the Electronic Monitoring Act, the DNA Act and the Act to abolish Preliminary Enquiries.
Government’s most recent initiatives follow the decapitation of ex-prisoner Learie Ceballo, whose head was left on a bar table in La Romaine; the hog-tying, beating and strangulation of 70-year-old grandmother Carmen Ramjattan;and the murder of Mwali Seales, brother of Sgt Michael Seales, secretary of the Police Service Social and Welfare Association.
It also follows the statement by Police Service Commission chairman Ramesh Deosaran that the crime-fighting measures over the past years had failed.
Among those present at the meeting with the Prime Minister were Housing Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal, National Security Minister Jack Warner, acting Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams, Major General Kenrick Maharaj and Brigadier Anthony Phillips-Spencer.
