United National Congress leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar has vowed to intensify efforts to make homes, schools, playgrounds and other public spaces safe once again.
She made the comment at the party’s fifth instalment of its Anti-Crime Town Hall Meeting in Morvant last evening, as she noted the country was suffering from an “unprecedented crime and violence wave that is sweeping across our land”.
She declared, “The crime rate now is the worse than it has ever been in decades and decades, decades upon decades...the worse ever, that no one is safe anywhere, in any part of T&T, not in a single space.”
She admitted, “Yes, there are hotspots and there are hotter spots but all over our land is now a hot spot.”
Her comment came even as Shermell Roberts was killed less than two hours earlier in the nearby community of Barataria.
Roberts, 36, an employee at the Queen’s Park Savannah branch of First Citizens, had just arrived home at 4 pm when she was ambushed by gunmen as she attempted to exit her car. She died at hospital a short while later.
Turning her attention to the community and the residents present, Persad-Bissessar heard from several people about the issues affecting the Morvant and Laventille areas.
Chief among them was the lack of employment opportunities, especially for the young men; the absence of sporting programmes; the neglected infrastructure at community centres which barely benefit the younger students; and the increased killings, whether at the hands of law enforcement or gang warfare.
While former community/social activist Lennox Smith complained of the ills affecting the two communities, he took the time to hand over a flash drive containing over 1,000 pages of documents, including recommendations for improvements.
Catherine “Precious” Perry, who ran as the East Dry River candidate in last year’s Local Government Election, spoke of the hardships faced by persons living in areas such as Port-of-Spain, Laventille, Morvant, Beetham, Sea Lots and East Dry River.
Challenging Persad-Bissessar to disclose what was the UNC’s crime plan and how they could help to reduce the suffering and anguish of people in those areas, Perry and those present cheered and applauded as the Opposition Leader lifted a fist in the air and answered, “Jobs, jobs, jobs.”
Vowing to continue serving country, Persad-Bissessar pledged to listen before serving and to ensure the voices of the voiceless would be heard.
Similar anti-crime talks have so far also been held in Chaguanas, Sangre Grande, St Joseph and San Fernando.