(Trinidad Guardian) Angered by the escalating crime rate, especially domestic-related murders in the last month, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley on Monday night called on women to choose their male companions more wisely.
Rowley was speaking during the first in a series of 14 Conversations with the Prime Minister public meetings at the amphitheatre of the Maloney Shopping Mall, when he referred to spate of killings of women in recent times.
With the killing of Jamilia DeRevenaux at MovieTowne on Sunday night still fresh an the public’s mind, Rowley first knocked the T&T Police Service for its lack of urgency in delivering on a better detection rate to overall crime and murders in particular.
“If a crime is to be committed, invariably, the police may not know it is to be committed and more often than not the police would only know after the crime has been committed,” he said.
Pointing out that approximately one third of the murders in the last month were domestic-related issues. The PM asked what the role of the state/TTPS was in preventing these sort of crimes.
He said the ill-fated domestic cases usually end with women in strained or difficult relationships, forcing the state to intervene to put a restraining order against the partner and this has been creating a basis for violent crimes.
“You called on the Prime Minister to do something about crime. I am not in your bedroom, I am not in your choice of men,” he said.
The PM said women have a responsibility to pick those they associate with wisely and should know when to get out of a relationship. He said when this happens, the police must then go the extra mile to ensure there is detection if the anything gets out of hand.
“In the absence of detection, those who would ordinarily be law-abiding have an incentive to become law breakers,” the PM said.
He also lashed out at the rogue elements in the police service, saying there must be a level of intolerance for this type of behaviour. He said Parliament has given acting Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams the authority to manage the service and he is responsible for rooting out the rogue elements.
He added, “As Prime Minister, I cannot dictate to the police how to treat with citizens. Like you, I too am watching with anger at some of the things I am seeing. I have not opened my mouth,” Rowley said.
He said the last thing he wants to do is further demoralise the TTPS.
“When it comes to a situation where the population fraid police because of their behaviour, we are going to lose this war.”
