The president of the Chaguanas Chamber of Industry and Commerce (CCIC) says there is an urgent need to place port security under the Ministry of National Security.
Richie Sookhai made the declaration on Friday, November 4, during the CCIC’s Business Mixer function at the Signature Hall, Montrose Chaguanas.
The Chaguanas Chamber president, who in the past has been outspoken on the country’s crime situation, says the time has come to move Customs & Excise from under the purview of the Ministry of Finance, and to the Ministry of National Security.
“Police Commissioner McDonald Jacob had said that the majority of the guns are coming in from the legal ports of entry. He lamented that Customs and Excise do not fall under National Security but the Finance Ministry. There is a need to immediately change this and place Port security under National Security to weed out corruption,” Sookhai said.
He added: “What is the status of the scanners? The US Government had donated scanners to be installed at the Ports. Are they in operation? Customs officers have a mammoth role to play in curbing the importation of these illegal contraband into T&T.”
Sookhai said it is no secret that for over a year, hundreds of CCTV cameras were not working.
“That's like knowing there's cancer and not seeking immediate treatment. Since the kidnapping of Andrea Bharath, the police indicated the cameras in Arima were non-functional,” he said.
“Why didn't the Government act to bring on board businesses and residents from day one? We could have had a national CCTV Eye already in place if there was quicker implementation of a plan,” he argued, stating, “Government should sit with business heads and Chambers and discuss bringing corporate/residential CCTV onto the national grid.”
In addition, the Chaguanas Chamber president observes that legislation may have to be passed to utilise footage from civilian cameras in the courts.
He also points out that the root cause of crime is socio-economic:
“What is fuelling gang culture? What happens to the thousands of primary school children who score below 30 percent at S.E.A., and the additional hundreds who never make it to CXC? What programmes are in place to coach them during the ages of 12-18?"
According to the CCIC head, there are many broken single parent homes in depressed areas, as well as an epidemic of fatherless young men.
“The majority of violent crimes and gun offences are committed by repeat offenders. What programmes are in place for rehabilitation? Do criminals just sit in jail and eat all day at taxpayers’ expense while they use their cell phones to continue their criminal networking?” he said.
Richie Sookhai also weighed in on the justice system.
“You can increase the number of Judges and [Court] Masters but the problem is that cases are always being adjourned, stretching out to years,” he said.
He added: “There needs to be the implementation of Night and Weekend Courts to immediately expedite gun related offences.”