http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,150213.htmlSoE STAYSBy SEAN DOUGLAS Tuesday, November 8 2011
“THE CURFEW IS OVER on Trinidad and Tobago soil and sea,” said Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar. “The state of emergency remains, under continuous review.” With those words, Persad-Bissessar lifted the 11 pm to 4 am curfew, as of last night, from Trinidad and Tobago’s crime hot-spots, but kept the state of emergency (SoE), speaking at a televised news conference at the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), St Clair.
“I wish to advise that the National Security Council (NSC) has recommended and the Government has agreed to remove the curfew on land and sea in Trinidad and Tobago immediately as I speak,” she said yesterday.
“The state of emergency will stay in effect and this will be reviewed on a continuous basis. So the curfew is lifted both on land and sea, immediately. We will review that as well, from day to day, as we continue to monitor the situation and get our reports from the protective services.”
She said the SoE had let TT avert a crisis in the form of a clear threat to national security and the date on which the SoE was declared, August 21, was a historic date for protecting democracy and freedom in TT. In the early weeks, the curfew was 9 pm to 5 am before it was later revised to 11 pm to 4 am.
“I stand by that decision, as advised by the Minister if National Security, that immediate action had to be taken.”
She said the SoE had been justified by unacceptable levels of crime. Saying the political risks of enacting the SoE were of no consequence to her compared to the people’s safety, she alleged the Opposition had preferred to snipe and mislead citizens for narrow partisan reasons.
“At a time when the nation was crying out for a united assault on crime, the Opposition politicians failed miserably to rise to the defence of the citizenry against a marauding criminal force.”
She said with the unanimous nod of the NSC and Cabinet, she had made a decision that had not been easy, but had kept within the Constitution and the law.
Persad-Bissessar hailed those who had fought the criminals.
“You, our protective services, have taken this nation from the brink of disorder and chaos and restored law and order and ensured that our democracy remains intact,” she said.
“You have wrested the control and confidence away from criminals who felt they could threaten and do what they wanted with impunity and now they are on the run and public confidence in the ability of our protective services is beginning to return,” said Persad-Bissessar. “Psychologically, relieved of living in fear and from a sense of hopelessness, the state of anxiety and vulnerability felt by the public gradually went away.”
She said the nation had won, through the SoE and curfew.
“We do not claim a complete victory. There have been challenges along the way, but undoubtedly, the battle has been won to a large extent. Due to the SoE and curfew, the gang leaders tremble in fear, the crime rate plummets, guns are taken off the streets that could have killed innocent persons, families can sleep better, justice has prevailed and illicit drugs are seized.
“The criminal elements saw a nation joining together against them, in support of thousands of our best and bravest members of the joint protective services ...”
More weapons, drugs and criminals had been seized in the last two and a half months, than in several years of anti-crime efforts prior, said Persad-Bissessar. Saying the SoE and curfew were more than a success, she said, “It saved our nation. It redeemed all previous failed attempts. It has made Trinidad and Tobago safer than it has been for a very long time.”
Persad-Bissessar gave figures to show the SoE had led to a drop in crime. Murders fell from 46 cases in the month before the SoE to just 18 for the same period during the SoE and curfew, a 60 percent drop. “Gang related homicides were reduced by an even higher percentage.”
For the same period, serious crimes such as robbery with aggravation, house- breaking and rape fell by more than half (51 percent), while car-theft fell by 73 percent.
She emphasised the drop in murders in three different ways.
Murders from January 1 to October 31 fell from 400 cases last year to 302 this year. For the SoE/curfew period of August to October 201l, just 35 murders had occurred, down from 70 for the same period last year.
Likewise last month saw just 13 murders — the lowest in two decades — compared to 30 for October 2010.
She gave figures to show that the period of January to October (which included the SOE/curfew period) had seen more detection of crimes, such as the seizure of firearms and ammunition, and illicit narcotics. More marijuana (107,000 kilogrammes) was seized during the SoE period she said than in all of 2010 (39,000 kilogrammes). Some 166 kilogrammes of cocaine was seized this year (including 13.8 kilogrammes during the SoE/curfew), compared to just 82 kilogrammes last year.
Some 12,000 bullets were seized this year, compared to 5,000 bullets last year.
Persad-Bissessar said the SoE/curfew had put more boots on the ground, up from the usual cohort of 6,146 police officers who are deployed in shifts across TT.
“On the very first day of the SoE, as we added the personnel from the various TT Regiment, the Air Guard and the Coast Guard this effective number of security personnel directly involved in crime fighting was increased by 71 percent to 10,316.”
She said serious crimes fell from 583 cases in the fortnight before the SoE, by a 43 percent drop in the first fortnight of the SoE. Citizens know there was a drastic reduction in murders, rapes and robberies during the SoE/curfew, she asserted.
She said the SoE and curfew were successful, as shown by a better interaction between the protective services and citizenry, and the taking back of the streets by the community. “In addition the independence of the Judiciary remains intact, the courts remain free and open, and justice is accessible for any citizen who feels aggrieved.”
She said there is more to be done, as the fight against crime does not end with the SoE and curfew.
She noted the NSC has said the SoE and curfew have cut criminal activity, disturbed the drugs/crime/guns cycle, boosted intelligence-gathering, helped army-police collaboration, improved the capacity to monitor criminals and resulted in some being charged.
“Certain exercises to ensure we don’t slip back into the level of criminality will remain and the government reserves the right to impose limited curfews where and when necessary as advised by the Minister of National Security,” said Persad- Bissessar. Her future plans include measures to boost the Central Intelligence Command, retain joint patrols, expand CCTV coverage (across cities, malls and vulnerable areas), target social and cultural initiatives to help community life and create 20,000 jobs in low-income communities. Persad-Bissessar ended by thanking everyone for their patience and cooperation during the SoE/curfew period. Despite the changes she urged citizens to continue to take caution in all they do, and be aware of the law and the lawless.
Flanked by Minister of National Security, Brigadier John Sandy; Commissioner of Police Dwayne Gibbs and Chief of Defence Staff Colonel Kenrick Maharaj, whom she had met at the NSC, the Prime Minister’s speech had the flavour of an address to the nation. She took no media questions.
Afterwards Attorney General Anand Ramlogan told Newsday the difference between the SoE and curfew. He said, “All of the emergency powers regulations shall continue, except the curfew. So that means that all search and seizure, all of those other regulations, will continue except the curfew.”
