Prime Minister Rowley Says Current Violent Crime Spree in Trinidad Will Not Be Tolerated
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley Tuesday said that the current violent crime spree will not be tolerated and that “the wanton disregard for human life in Trinidad and Tobago has now gone beyond concerning to the ridiculous”.
(File Photo)“The state will redouble all efforts to curtail these violent outbursts, will hunt down and disarm the perpetrators and will make operational adjustments so that the state security services can act with despatch against the violent cohort of our national population,” Rowley said in a statement.
Rowley’s statement comes after eight people were shot and killed over a 24 hour period pushing the murder toll to 480 so far this year, as compared with 508 for the same period last year.
The police said that four men were shot and killed in Belmont on the outskirts of the capital on Sunday night, while the others were killed in Arima, east of here on Monday evening.
In his statement, Prime MInister Rowley said “notwithstanding the persistent efforts of the various state machinery, the selection of violence as a way of life, the love affair and glamorization of firearms and the wanton disregard for human life in Trinidad and Tobago has now gone beyond concerning to the ridiculous”.
He said that this “intractable situation now demands that the law-abiding citizens be given the right to their peace and safety above the freedom of the lawless and the violent few who operate with impunity,” adding “the current violent crime spree will not be tolerated”.
Meanwhile, the Trinidad Express newspaper reported Tuesday that President Christine Kangaloo has issued a proclamation allowing for 100 Trinidadand Tobago Defence Force (TTDF) reserve officers to lend support to the police during the pre Christmas season to 2024 Carnival scheduled for February 12 and 13.
The proclamation was dated October 30, 2023
In a proclamation gazetted on October 30, the President, who is Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, called out members of the Volunteer Defence Force for a period of 123 days with effect from October 30, 2023 to February 29, 2024.
