A Diego Martin community leader wants to meet with Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley to discuss ways to reduce crime in the area. Qunicy Felix made the request during the peace march/motorcade that he hosted in the vicinity of Bagatelle Road on Sunday.
Dozens of people, accompanied by officers from the West End Police Station took part in the march, chanting as they made their way through the streets: “What we walking for?…Peace and love.”
Felix admitted that he was once involved in crime and apologised to the community. He pledged to do everything in his power to prevent another young person from making the same mistakes
“For me to do anything, for me to show a youth not to go down the direction that I went down, I willing to do it and I willing for the Government the Prime Minister…for he self to come and check in he constituency. Mr Imbert, we need to see you concerning to what going on in the area,” Felix said.
Data from the T&T Police Service (TTPS) shows that Diego Martin/Petit Valley recorded the third highest murder count in 2022, approximately 38 killings. One was the murder of three-year-old Nazim Owen on October 22.
Felix said one of the problems contributing to the high crime rate is that young people have nothing productive to do with their time.
One of the participants in the peace march said they had written to Prime Minister Rowley to ask for agriculture and forestry programmes to be started in the community. He said the young people are willing to work.
“Long as we have grounds and certain things to keep activities it will always have idleness and as the people does say the devil like idle hands so we need to change that,” he said.
Residents in the community said they appreciated the initiative.
“We like this walk,” an elderly resident told Felix as he walked past.
The police feel the same. Sergeant Adams, of the West End Police Station, said not too long ago crime in Carenage was out of control until residents got together to achieve peace. He said if that strategy could work there it could work in Diego Martin.
“They came together and they going strong. You know I am a member of the community and it happened in Carenage and I want to see it happen here and the police is always here to support and I’ll be more specific. If there are any underlying issues my door is always open, we could trash it out,” Adams said.
Felix hopes other community leaders will follow in his footsteps.
“I wish if this could reach out to other men who we call community leaders. Let we change we country. We ain’t talking about Diego Martin alone, we talking about the whole country. We just making the whole country into a mess,” he said.
