Senior Reporter
jensen.lavende@guardian.co.tt
Neisha Ramkissoon, who spent six months in detention without being charged during last year’s State of Emergency (SoE), is concerned that the new Special Operations legislation could create another avenue for people to be held without charge.
The act allows police to arrest and detain individuals in a declared closed area if the head of special operations has reasonable grounds to suspect they have committed, are committing, or are about to commit an offence. A magistrate may then order the person’s continued detention for up to 48 hours if satisfied that doing so is in the interests of justice. The legislation also allows a High Court judge to authorise further detention without charges being laid if continued detention is deemed necessary.
Speaking with Guardian Media outside her family’s home, Ramkissoon, who was identified as the love interest of an alleged gangster under the SoE and as someone with “operational control and leadership of an organised criminal group,” said it makes no sense for her community to possibly be subjected to a police lockdown.
“It would be hard because the village in the back here is poor, as you can see. People have to go to work. Look at the condition of the road. Look at the condition of people’s houses. So it wouldn’t make any sense. People have to get up and go and look for a dollar. There are people leaving at 5 o’clock, 4 o’clock. It doesn’t make any sense.”
Ramkissoon, whose sister, Aneesa Ramkissoon, was murdered and whose home was firebombed in 2023, believes the legislation would not make a difference in protecting innocent people from criminals.
“If it’s a bad area, well, yeah, I don’t have a problem with it. But it’s still affecting many people who have to go to work. I find this Government not making sense to me. I think they could find something better than making poor people suffer.”
She added, “They could still detain people under it. So it’s the same thing you’re going to do, detain people, put them in jail for no reason and then let them go back. It doesn’t make any sense. You’re taking away half of people’s lives. It’s six months I spent up there.”
At St Michael’s Road, Tunapuna, Dexter Verieul said he has lived in the area for the past ten years and that any lockdown of the area would not affect law-abiding citizens.
“It could get locked down for my part because I’m a working man. I don’t be around. Who around in the slackness go be in the problem. I don’t have no problem, I can walk the road at any hour.”
The 56-year-old believes the new law may not help the area and suggested that if jobs are created for the young people in the community, there may be better results.
Another resident, who did not want to be identified, said any restriction on movement may cripple his parlour.
A resident, identified only as Madeline, said she hopes the area is not placed on lockdown.
“It have many youths out here with very good intellect; they just playing the fool. You make the children, but you can’t make their mind. At the same time, charity begins at home.”
She suggested that instead of simply locking down hotspot areas, authorities should assess the communities, ensure there is recent criminal activity, and then act.
According to the law, a specific location within one of the country’s seven policing districts must first be declared a “closed area” by the President.
The President must be satisfied that there are reasonable grounds to believe public safety and peace are under threat.
After an area is declared closed, the boundaries must be published in the Gazette and public notices issued, and a head of special operations appointed to oversee operations in the district.
