Anna-Lisa Paul and Charles Kong Soo
Police Commissioner Erla Harewood-Christopher’s promise to reduce murders in three months–by June–is being viewed with scepticism by former CoP Gary Griffith. The former CoP does not believe her timeline is realistic.
The new CoP made the bold declaration on Monday at the second session of a Joint Select Committee to delve into anti-crime strategies being utilised by the T&T Police Service (TTPS) to address criminal activities in the country.
Harewood-Christopher is sitting in the top cop’s chair at a time when Trinidad and Tobago’s murder rate is spiralling out of control. T&T witnessed a bloody start to the new year with 104 people being killed in the first two months.
Speaking to Guardian Media, Griffith said the timeline would have “boxed in” the CoP.
He questioned if it was purely coincidental that Harewood-Christopher had decided on June–which would be just one month after she reaches the retirement age of 60.
Griffith said, “In any business, if you have a timeline, there has to be a reason why it is that you have come to that timeline.”
He questioned, “Why June? Why not September? Why not March? What is it that you have, what information does she have to give her that expectation that this will happen?”
Former commissioner of police Gary Griffith
Recalling the challenges he faced in getting serious crimes, especially murders down when he entered office in 2018, Griffith admitted it took him a year into his term before he witnessed a reduction in the homicide rate at that time.
“You do not know what is the pattern that will take place in terms of the criminal activities of gangs if there is going to be some operational plan to prevent illegal firearms from coming into the country because it may very well escalate due to poor policies by this Government, things that are out of her control. If it goes like that, she will be boxed in by the timeline given.”
Griffith labelled her timeline as a “bold statement” which spoke to being more of “an optimistic view rather than a practical one.”
Griffith said he was hoping that she can achieve the mandate set out. “I hope that every law-abiding citizen should hope that she can.”
And while Harewood-Christopher’s timeline was being questioned by members of the public, the CoP is yet to provide details.
Harewood-Christopher did not respond to questions by Guardian Media yesterday, which sought to ascertain just how this would be achieved.
Selected as T&T’s first female CoP on February 3, all eyes have since been trained on Harewood-Christopher who inherited the post during the country’s bloodiest period.
According to TTPS statistics up to February 28, the murder rate stood at 104 for the year so far; compared to 92 for the comparative period last year.
Dr Randy Seepersad
Seepersad says it can be done
Meanwhile, the head of the Criminology Department, University of the West Indies, St Augustine Campus Dr Randy Seepersad declared that “It could be done.”
Although Harewood-Christopher has not provided a list of the strategies/policies she intends to implement to achieve the much-anticipated reduction, Seepersad said “proximate risk factors, distal risk factors, and the institutional framework were all necessary in order to achieve success.”
He said, “while distal risk factors are more long-term, proximate risk factors examine immediate causes of crimes.”
Referring to Project Reason which was introduced by the Ministry of National Security (MNS) between 2014 and 2017, Seepersad said it had been quite successful as it had “resulted in an almost immediate decline in murders, woundings and shootings.”
He revealed there had been an almost 40 per cent decline in the 16 target communities throughout East Port-of-Spain including Sea Lots, Beetham, and Laventille. “The decline came almost immediately when the project was put in place.”
Indicating the gang-violence reduction intervention had managed to make a dent quite quickly in the crime situation back then, he said the personnel had been specially trained in mediation and conflict resolution.
He said these peoples were close to the communities, so they could get in quickly and begin working with aggrieved parties when crimes occur.
Seepersad explained that such strategies must be sustained in order to maintain a certain level of peace and harmony. He added, however, “I don’t know what Commissioner has in mind.”
Referring to the initiative Project Building Blocks which was a similar intervention strategy, Seepersad lamented that this had fallen by the wayside as the funding to continue had stopped last December.
Supporting Seepersad in terms of the successes realised through Project Reason and Project Building Blocks, former acting CoP Mc Donald Jacobs recently participated in a crime reduction webinar hosted by the Cipriani Labour College during which he also spoke of the inroads the programmes had achieved in hot-spot communities.
Prof Ramesh Deosaran
NICOLE DRAYTON
Deosaran: It’s a tall order, but give her a chance
Criminologist Prof Ramesh Deosaran, on the other hand, said that Harewood-Christopher should be given a chance and the time will come when she will perhaps have a second look at her crime strategy
Speaking to Guardian Media yesterday, Deosaran said “The promises that the commissioner made, I am sure it is with good intentions. But to make a pledge with short-term strategies having results by June and long-term strategies having positive results by December, that’s a very tall order.
“I hope the new strategies she and her executive have will produce the expected results, and it will also depend on public support, especially in terms of murders and home invasions.”
He said the country was into a new dimension in both policing and crime, and he would bring in citizen support as part of the solution.
Deosaran said that as a new commissioner in the present crime situation, while crime was a hot political subject in the present circumstances of widespread public fear, people cannot always mix up political preferences by not giving support to the police.
He stressed that the country was in a state of desperation regarding crime, people can handle politics on the campaign trail and criticise the Government, that was their constitutional right, but they must also support the police, especially in providing information.
Deosaran said information from citizens was vital in police work as more than 50 per cent of successful prosecutions and even arrests came from reliable witness statements and evidence.
He said the CoP and her leadership team must activate and sustain community support by having improved trust and confidence in the police service
Deosaran said that what Harewood-Christopher must attend to, is not only solving crime, but dealing with any corruption and indiscipline within the police service.