UNITY NEEDED TO FIGHT CRIME SAYS DICKSON

CCNTV6

The T&T Police Social and Welfare Association says the time has come for the State and the citizenry to band together in the fight against crime and to stop casting blame for the current situation the country is in.   On the TV6 Morning Edition, ASP Gideon Dickson says that the criminal justice system needs a lot of work.

Transcript

00:00Our gun laws need to be stronger, we need to have a gun court operation at this point

00:05in time, and we have to also be able to equip the police officers with the necessary battle

00:11gears because we are in a battle right now, in the middle of the day persons are shooting

00:17with impunity close to schools, next to groceries, hospitals, no place really appears to be safe.

00:24ASP Dixon observes that criminals are becoming more brazen.

00:27By and large we are seeing where the criminal elements are becoming more and more brazen

00:32and by and large we are seeing where our laws governing the use of firearms are really and

00:40truly, they are weak.

00:43Dixon says that for years the TTPS has noted that firearms are the weapon of choice of

00:48criminals, yet despite the TTPS holding suspects, in too many cases these persons have access

00:54to bail and therefore the potential to commit more crimes.

00:59This he says is leaving the wrong impressions on young minds.

01:03The criminal element has the upper hand, we have to have serious discussions in terms

01:09of what we want achieved because the court system is failing us, the community is failing

01:16us, the family is failing us, the school is failing us, but you know what happened?

01:22With all those failures, we are also saying the police is failing us, but when you look

01:28at the stats, the data of the police bringing persons before the court, that ain't saying that.

01:34He says that the TTPS has been working relentlessly since December 2019 and despite the challenges

01:40faced, increased workloads and even the deaths of 39 officers during the COVID-19 pandemic,

01:48there is rarely any acknowledgement of the hard work and dedication of police officers

01:53in the public sphere.

01:55Our officers cannot be continued to be placed under pressure and expected to perform at

01:59optimal when we are 1400 officers short and the workload continues to amplify and you

02:06expect us to be able to just jump and follow suit and I am going to sing this like a road

02:12march to this day, not an acknowledgement, to this day, not even a validation, to this

02:19day, not a commendation for the officers who worked during that historic period, that cannot

02:24be correct.

02:25As such, he is pleading with the state and all relevant stakeholders to work with the

02:30police service and to provide them with the necessary tools and support needed in the

02:35fight against crime.

02:37He says that the time is now to put aside politics and personal agendas and for this

02:43country to unite and push back against criminal elements.

02:47Alexander Brucewall, TV6 News.

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended