Joseph: I kept my promise
-Ria Taitt
Friday, January 1st 2010
National Security Minister Martin Joseph kept his promise to the nation- when he said the absolute number of murders would go down this year. Forty-two more people are alive this year than last year.
In January of this year, speaking at a post Cabinet news conference, Joseph gave an assurance that the record number of murders which occurred in 2008, would not be repeated this year.
’What I can assure you is (this): no way are we going to find ourselves in 2009 in the same situation we found ourselves in 2008,’ he had said.
Yesterday the Ministry of National Security released a statement pointing out that the Minister ’took time out today to thank members of law enforcement agencies for their efforts in reducing the murder rate from 548 in 2008 to 506 in 2009, representing a 7.6 reduction.
Additionally the release noted, Joseph pointed to an increase in the rate of solved murders from 18.1 per cent in 2008 to 26.3 per cent this year. Of out 506, 133 murders were solved in 2009 as compared to 99 solved murders out of 548 last year. In 2007, there were 393 murders of which 73 were solved, representing an 18.6 solved rate.
The Minister who has always taken the position that the transformation of the Police Service was key to reducing crime, pledged that Government would continue to provide the law enforcement agencies with the required resources as it continues to fight crime.
He added that the Government commits to the following objectives for 2010 and reaffirms its commitment to the people of Trinidad and Tobago:-
*Priority Number one: ensuring public safety
*Priority number two: bringing more criminals to justice
*Priority number three: providing the tools required to fight crime
*Priority number four: reviewing legislation to change the way we approach crime fighting.
Joseph stated: ’I am dedicated to building on the good work that has begun in 2009. Our top priority for 2010 is to do everything to drive down the murder rate and restore confidence in our law enforcement agencies by the quality of our service delivery’.
Law enforcement in this year has put focus on gang related murders. But the biggest security challenge this year was the management of two international conferences- the Fifth Summit of the Americas and the Commonwealth Heads of Government conference, both of which were deemed security successes. The Government also received a report from Canadian General Cameron Ross on reform of the security infrastructure. Some of those recommendations were implemented this year.
