(Trinidad Express) A MASSIVE sport campaign and the “regeneration” of East Port of Spain are two of the suggestions coming out of a report on young men and crime, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has said.
She was contributing to debate on the Defence (Amendment) bill last Friday at Tower D, International Waterfront Centre, Port of Spain.
She said the Government had requested that Prof Selwyn Ryan and his team provide a report on engaging youth at risk, a committee on “Young Males and Crime”, and to give recommendations.
She said he submitted his report last week and the recommendations will be looked at by Cabinet.
One of the recommendations was a “massive campaign” to promote sport throughout Trinidad and Tobago.
Persad-Bissessar recalled that on Friday morning Government signed a loan agreement with China Exim Bank to construct six large sporting facilities at TT$700 million, including the Aquatic Centre and the National Tennis Centre.
She also congratulated those who participated in Government’s “Hoops for Life” programme and the winners of the competition.
Laventille copped the TT$1 million first prize in the finals of the Hoop of Life Community Basketball League at Marabella last Tuesday.
Some of the other recommendations of the Ryan report were to deal with the justice system and establish family courts across the country; develop a culture of community policing; deal with war on drugs and crime; put more money into issues of crime, corruption, money laundering and embezzlement; and the regeneration of East Port of Spain.
Persad-Bissessar noted that the regeneration of that area was ongoing and Planning Minister Dr Bhoe Tewarie had a number of projects.
On white collar-crime she noted that two weeks ago, through Labour Minister Errol Mcleod, she gave her address to Transparency International which dealt with several proposals for dealing with the issue.
She said this administration strengthened the Financial Intelligence Unit and removed the country from the grey list of the Financial Action Task Force.
