Prime Minister Patrick Manning yesterday condemned the killing of ten-year-old Tecia Henry and Camille Daniel and said the death penalty was high on Government's agenda as it seeks solutions to stem the flood of rising crime.
Speaking to reporters following a visit to the San Fernando Girls' Government School, Manning said criminals had become too brazen, in direct reference to the murder of Daniel in the compound of the West End Police Station, Diego Martin. "They (criminals) feel they could get away with what they do and what the police are now demonstrating is that is not so.
"They (police) will catch them and more and more you will see better prosecution and results in the courts, so criminals better watch out." Manning said the one stumbling block to the resumption of hanging was the Privy Council and he made a case for the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) as the final appellate court.
"The big problem we have is that the Privy Council is guided by policy decisions of the government of the United Kingdom that develops society with standards that are very relevant to them, but not relevant to us. "They take the point of view that there will be no hanging, don't care what you say." Even though hanging is on the statute books of T&T, notorious drug lord and convicted murderer Dole Chadee and his gang of eight were the last people to be executed ten years ago this month.
Criticised for statements made at the PNM convention on June 21 at Chaguaramas that there was "more in the mortar than the pestle" in the death of the Laventille school girl, Manning sought to clarify his statement, but said he had no regrets. "Let me make the point very clear, I was just responding to some of the commentators, who in their usual uninformed way, was giving an impression to the community that did not take all the facts into consideration and that is all.
"But like everybody else, I condemn the murder of a ten-year-old, I mean nobody could countenance that and for anybody to suggest that I saw it otherwise, was really just being mischievous. "I condemn it totally. One of the things we are seeking to do is to ensure that those things never happen again."
Manning said he was not sorry for making the statements. "Whatever I do, I do after careful consideration. Some might disagree with me, but what is done is done." Touching on national security initiatives to bring about a more secure country, Manning urged the country not to scoff at the idea of putting cops on bicycle patrol.