Within a matter of weeks, revelations surfacing here in Guyana and in Trinidad & Tobago point to what would appear to be similar challenges being faced by law enforcement in the two CARICOM countries arising out of indications that policemen may be playing a role in facilitating the pursuits of criminals.
In Trinidad & Tobago where the crime challenge appears to be markedly more pronounced, the authorities are becoming increasingly perplexed over the high incidence of what is believed to be the linkage between high profile businessmen from parts of the twin-island Republic and serious crimes and the strong likelihood that policemen are providing ‘cover’ for their criminal activities.
Last Tuesday the Trinidad Guardian ran a story reporting that “close to 40 prominent businessmen” from “south, central and east Trinidad” are closely tied to a range of crimes including drug and human trafficking, gun running and a much wider assortment of highly profitable illegal activities. The Trinidad and Tobago police, the Guardian report says, has taken the step of naming names in an intelligence report, a move which, arguably, points to the extent of national concern over the issue.