(Trinidad Express) Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar has promised to make home invasions a specific “criminal offence”, saying people under attack in their homes should be allowed self-defense under “stand your ground” laws.
The United National Congress (UNC) political leader was speaking at the party’s Monday night forum, where she again said the national community was under siege and accused the People’s National Movement (PNM) of traditionally overseeing a rise in crime when in government.
Persad-Bissessar was speaking in Couva South, hours after the close of the first of two days of the Government’s regional symposium in Port of Spain, which brought together a slew of Caricom heads to look at “Violence as a Public Health Issue – The Crime Challenge.
At the Hyatt Regency (Trinidad) on Monday, the UNC lobbied Caricom heads to back its call for Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley to remove Fitzgerald Hinds as Minister of National Security.
Persad-Bissessar at the forum reiterated a lack of confidence that the talks would yield results for T&T, saying the exercise was “talk and more talk”.
The Opposition Leader placed emphasis on increased reports of armed and violent crimes, as well as home invasions.
“You can see sometimes seven men jump over your wall and invade the sanctity of your home, with guns, with cutlasses, with other weapons,” said Persad-Bissessar, whose address included newspaper reports and available footage of a number of crimes at the weekend.
She added that, “They torture, rob, they rape and then like rats jump off your house in rapid succession to proceed to a waiting car to move to the next venue.”
The Siparia MP said a UNC government would target certain criminals activities including home invasions through adjustments to the law and promised to increase penalties for anyone found guilty of such crimes.
Persad-Bissessar labelled home invasions as the “number one fear” to currently impact the country and claimed that since the PNM had come into power, T&T had experienced over 15,000 robberies and assaults in and around homes.
“This can be psychologically devastating. Countless of our citizens consider migration to escape the barbaric criminal activities we see each day,” the former prime minister said.
She vowed to “put an end to the devilish offence of home invasion,” stating:
“We will bring legislation to Parliament to create a specific criminal offence of home invasion.”
She said this would involve “increasing the sentences for larceny, burglary, serious assault, unlawful entry to your properties whether it be your home or your businesses and that you will be able to use force”.
“They come using force, firearms, weapon cutlass, whatever it may be and so we will create that specific offence,” Persad-Bissessar said, adding:
“And we will create that offence with a penalty of 25 years in jail.”
She said the notion of the dwelling home is already found in the Trespass Amendment Act but “that was for people going into HDC houses and taking it over”.