RESTORING OUR NATIONAL SECURITY

In the fight against crime there can be no compromise and there must be
zero tolerance for those whose inefficiency is resulting in the escalation
in criminal activity.

The statistics reveal that if the present trend remains unattended there
will be about 250 murders at the end of 2004. This estimate is higher than
the 229 murders committed in 2003.

The reality is that this Government has failed miserably in its duty to
provide national security and it is time for citizens to send a clear and
powerful message to the Prime Minister and his Cabinet that enough is enough!

The more discerning and independent supporters of the PNM recognise that
their Government is causing shame, scandal and alarm in the area of crime.
These objective thinkers must be commended for putting their political
affiliations aside as they join the hundreds of thousands of citizens who
are prepared to reclaim this nation from the hands of villains and gangsters.

Undoubtedly, the Prime Minister must be very concerned that some members of
the business community who previously ignored his past blunders in the
fight against crime are now expressing their disgust with the present
situation as they rightly lay the blame at the feet of this administration.

It is unfortunate that these people were preoccupied with defending the
Government rather than listening to the Opposition as the latter predicted
the demise of the security of the country.

While many people have died because of the lack of resources given to the
institutions mandated to fight crime, it is not too late for the Government
to accept its ineptitude and restore an acceptable level of security for
all members of the public.

The question is: will the Government rise to the task?

Minister of National Security

The Minister of National Security would have this country believe that
there are measures in place to deal effectively and efficiently with the
escalating criminal activity.

This Minister defends his silence on serious issues because he apparently
believes that his stillness sends the message that he is working
assiduously and conscientiously in his Ministry.

The crime records reflect that Martin Joseph is as incompetent as his
immediate predecessor in office. Minister Joseph has admitted that 44
serious crimes are committed a day and that "crime and violence have
invaded our space, affecting the peace of mind of citizens and threatening
the social, political and economic well being of a country."

Such a bold confession must be met with powerful crime plans that will
ensure the safety of citizens and the detection of those people bent on
committing crimes.

Of course this is not the case and the Minister continues to believe that
all is well in his Ministry despite the fact that a British communications
expert warned the Government that crime was the area that needed the most
work. One can expect this accurate observation to fall on death ears.

In his response in the Parliament to the matter dealing with the
Government's failure to stem criminal activity, Minister Joseph was clearly
unable to address the main areas of concern with respect to the operation
of his Ministry. In order to prove the Government's commitment to fight
crime, Mr Joseph quoted the large budgetary allocation given to his Ministry.

The fact that for the current fiscal year this Ministry received an
allocation of $1.9 billion, which represents approximately 10 per cent of
the national budget and despite this very generous share of the national
monetary pie the Ministry is still dysfunctional, means that there is gross
incompetence and mismanagement amongst the policy makers and managers.

Dilapidated police stations

When Minister Joseph first assumed office, an arrangement was made for an
aerial view of dilapidated police stations in the North. It was reported
that this event had to be cancelled because of a malfunctioning helicopter.

It is interesting that this mode of transport would have been used to gain
an appreciation of the crumbled state of these buildings that house
officers who are supposed to serve the public and protect citizens.

One police station on the Minister's list for visitation was the Maracas
Police Station at which the roof collapsed only a few days ago.

Perhaps it is for that reason the Minister was advised that while ordinary
citizens should be made to withstand the risk of operating within the
building, it would have been unwise for the Minister to subject himself to
such danger.

The Minister should revisit the budget statement 2004 as presented by the
Prime Minister in which the police stations that would be constructed over
the medium term were stated. None of these stations has been refurbished or
rebuilt. Instead, one by one, the stations are either breaking down, deemed
wholly inhabitable or closed until further notice.

Imagine that significant amounts of cocaine washed upon the shores at
Manzanilla and at this location there is no operational police station.

Is it that this Government is not serious about the drug trade and thus
drugs have found themselves in many places including diplomatic pouches?

An effective crime plan

There are enough local experts who have volunteered their services at no
charge to assist this Government in the fight against crime. These civic
minded citizens recognise the Government's inability to deal with crime
because the latter lacks the political will and its members continue to
make irresponsible, irrational and insensitive remarks.

The provision of resources to the Forensic Science Centre, the Office of
the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Police Service, the judiciary, the
magistracy and all those involved in the administration of the criminal
process is mandatory.

There must be a method to deal with delinquent and corrupt officers. The
Police Complaints Authority's (PCA) 7th annual report highlighted several
inefficiencies in the Police Service and despite recommendations being made
by the PCA, little or nothing has been done to address its concerns.

Unless this Government gets serious about the establishment of an effective
witness protection programme, offenders will continue to remain undetected.

Although over 100 people have lost their lives because criminal activity is
rampant in our nation, their deaths will not be in vain if they force the
Government to wake up and pay attention to the call by citizens for this
administration to restore our national security.