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00:00This program contains graphic scenes.
00:05Viewer discussion is advised.
00:40Beyond the Tape will be back after these messages.
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04:26Welcome to Beyond the Tape, I'm your host Mark Bussan, welcome to our viewers across
04:29Trinidad and Tobago, and of course our global viewers, welcome.
04:34It's Wednesday and of course, you know, smack in the middle of the week, it's also legally
04:40speaking Wednesdays and I just want to remind you that today is day 87 of the state of emergency
04:47and on legally speaking Wednesdays, I want to, I want to welcome Acting Sergeant Zaheer
04:54Ali at Indian Law with the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service, welcome sir, how are you?
04:59Good evening Mark, it's a pleasure and honor to be here to join you on this platform, I'm
05:05seeing, you know, you're very active from an investigative journalist context, but good
05:11evening to Jackie and, you know, my family on Beyond the Tape, TV6, my colleagues in
05:17the law enforcement agencies and most importantly Mark, the citizenry of Trinidad and Tobago
05:24and, you know, I want to, you know, firmly, you know, hold on to the hands of the citizenry
05:31of Trinidad and Tobago and, you know, on the context where during this period, a very important
05:36period in Trinidad and Tobago, very, very important and also a very serious time in
05:42Trinidad and Tobago and, you know, I'm asking early o'clock for the citizenry of Trinidad
05:47and Tobago to be responsible in every step that they take during this period, you know,
05:54and continue to enjoy that freedom that we have, you know, to participate in campaign
06:00and to ensure that you're right, that you have earned, you know, a citizen of Trinidad
06:05and Tobago and as a majority, you know, to enjoy that right because, you know, when you
06:10look around your role Mark, that right is a very sacred right, you know, if we should
06:15be making comparisons.
06:16So, you know, I just want to open this afternoon and finally, before I hand back over to you
06:20Mark again over the week, just a short while ago, you know, I was met by persons who, you
06:27know, want to engage Beyond the Tape, you know, they want to engage us and to those
06:32persons and other persons during the week who have, you know, introduced themselves,
06:37you know, a lot of positive coming Mark and, you know, I want to say to those persons I,
06:41you know, salute you all and ask you all and by extension, the citizenry of Trinidad and
06:45Tobago to continue to exercise that freedom of expression responsibly to ensure that
06:50we uphold our democracy and we ensure that the rule of law is upheld at all times.
06:57You know, recently, I think probably 24th or 48th, we saw another landmark judgment
07:02from the United Kingdom Privy Council and so a lot is happening in Trinidad and Tobago
07:06and I, you know, urge the citizenry to get involved in these discussions.
07:11Yes, certainly, you know, and as you said, a lot has been happening on the political
07:15front, the judiciary and other news and I think, as you said, we are in for a hell of
07:21a ride in the next five and a half weeks during this election period and, of course, you also
07:27all have to be mindful, the media and everybody else, to play their role and be as fair, as
07:32balanced and objective as you can and, you know, when you present information or evidence,
07:39not to say that, you know, there is also the nexus of proving this in the public, not just
07:46in the public for, but from a legal standpoint as well and, as I said, our job as the media
07:53is to bring something to light and we put it here, but the law enforcement and other
07:57authorities can then take it here and put it to the end of the table because their job
08:02is to, you know, looking to the SU or SUs and see if there is some kind of case or some
08:09kind of investigation that can be had. Well, you know, Mark, you know, simply put,
08:14you know, from a TTPS context, from a law enforcement context, you know, there's a
08:18famous saying and, you know, we have asked members of the public, if you see something,
08:22say something and who is members of the public? Members of the public is not broken down to
08:28a particular individual or particular entity and the media, you know, plays a critical
08:33role. I've always, you know, recognized the media and the role and function of the media
08:39in many different respects, you know, in terms of holding constitutional rights and, you
08:44know, in the context of also providing very critical pieces of information and intelligence
08:49that may require a probe to see whether, in fact, what's the veracity of it. So, you know,
08:54you're right about that and I think it's important as well, Mark, to recognize and
08:58identify that, you know, while we're in a state of public emergency and we are cognizant
09:05about preserving the peace, we are also in an election campaign and that public safety
09:10and security is of paramount importance in both contexts. And while we may be looking
09:14at public safety and security from the context of high-power rifles and firearms and ammunition
09:20and dangerous drugs and other serious crimes, on the other hand, with the election campaign,
09:27it's important for us to, and I'm going to reiterate, responsible speech. We have not
09:34mentioned the Sedition Act. I'll mention it now. So while your representation of the People
09:39Act may speak to ensuring that there's good conduct, you're not making statements that
09:44goes to the correct and conduct of individuals. I want to respectfully say to Trinidad and
09:49Tobago as a society where we have different classes of persons by race, religion, community,
09:55what have you, there's a Sedition Act in Trinidad and Tobago that went all the way to the Privy
09:59Council and maintain its presence in our law books and where we're speaking sedition is
10:05to ensure that we are not making statements that can now cause hatred or violence between
10:12two cross-sections of the community. So I want to ensure that we also cognizant that
10:16at this time, those laws have not been suspended. We are in an election period and the rule
10:22of law still remains in the law book. So I just wanted to emphasize that, but again,
10:28enjoy it, but enjoy it within the rule of law because the 29th of April was willing,
10:34will come, and we all will have to continue to play our role and exist in Trinidad and
10:40Tobago.
10:40Yeah, as you speak about safety and security, it's paramount. And even in the media as well,
10:46I know my organization, we believe in fairness and objective journalism, and we continue
10:51to obviously do such. And at the same time, we also, we know that you can never ever please
10:58everyone, right? And I'm talking across the board with a particular story or article,
11:03but at the end of the day, you have a job to do and you must do it fairly, objectively,
11:07truthfully, and with accuracy. And when the chips fall, they may, but at the end of the
11:12day, we also talk about, you know, in the political arena, and we also have to respect
11:16persons' opinions and their views. We may not always agree with it, but our job as journalists
11:22is to present the facts and let those, the citizenry determine, put the pieces together,
11:31and, you know, we can't read and spell everything, you know?
11:35Well, Mark, just to simplify this introductory, I'll go back to the watchwords of Trinidad
11:39and Tobago. And you know what the watchwords of Trinidad and Tobago indicates or instructs?
11:44And I want to just point out two. Discipline, and that discipline, if we apply to the context,
11:50this is what we are speaking about. Discipline in everything that you do. And a very important
11:55word, tolerance, which goes smack into what you are speaking about. Respecting persons'
12:00opinion and understanding that we live in a society where everyone do not look the same
12:04way, they would not think the same way. So we need to be tolerant. So that discipline,
12:08tolerance, and I hope that we place some emphasis on production. And I'll hand back over to
12:13you now. Yes, cool. And I must say that, you know, in terms of safety, you know, every
12:18media house have to look after their personnel when the need be, and I'm happy to say that
12:22our whole media house does that when it is needed. All right? So this is day 87 of the
12:29State of Emergency, and I just wanted to bring you up to date with the figures. Number
12:35of operations, 4,313. Target or priority offenders, 3,060. Searches conducted, 30,118. Traffic
12:45operations, 3,838. Total persons arrested, 3,345. Traffic offenses detected, 14,944.
12:57Arms recovered, 166. Ammunition recovered, 3,570. Dangerous drug seized, 446,777. Grams
13:07of cannabis, 3,461 grams of cocaine, 80 grams of ecstasy, 8.8 grams of Xanax, 53 grams of
13:15molly, and 5 grams of crystal meth. So just to respond, Mark, with our statistics, I've
13:21seen 3,570 rungs of ammunition, and I just want to zero in on that particular statistic.
13:28Every single rung of ammunition can mean a life, and we put it as simple as possible.
13:32So with 3,570 rungs of ammunition being taken off the street, you know, that must be saluted,
13:40it must be acknowledged, and like always, you know, there's room for improvement, but
13:443,570 rungs of ammunition, you know, is very, very, very impactful when we speak in public
13:50safety and security. And, you know, I want to always acknowledge the police officers who are
13:54responsible and other law enforcement agencies for contributing to this statistics. Without
13:59these police officers and law enforcement agencies, the defense force, and other agencies,
14:03we would not be enjoying, or I should say, Mark, you would not have the luxury of reading the
14:08statistics of Trinidad and Tobago. So the city's officers, I want to take this opportunity on
14:12behalf of myself and the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service, and by extension, the
14:17citizenry of Trinidad and Tobago, to acknowledge your work and ask you to continue to give your
14:22best for the people of Trinidad and Tobago. All right, we're going to take a look now at our headlines.
14:46All right, I think we're going to take a short break,
15:04and when we get back, we'll have more. Stay with us.
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18:30Welcome back to Beyond the Tape. I'm your host, Mark Bassan, joined today by Acting
18:39Sergeant Zaheer Ali at Tenet Law with the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service. And you know,
18:45road safety is paramount. And last night, I was coming back from the football game
18:52on the Ura Butler Highway. I did see the accident, but there were too many people to stop.
18:57And the first accident, it happened just near, I think, a business location.
19:06There was a SUV nosedive into that drain there. I don't know how badly the persons were hurt,
19:14and there was another vehicle as well involved in the accident. I am not suiting, you know,
19:23what transpired and how it transpired. But certainly, it seems that the SUV might have
19:29lost control because it went nosedive into that ditch there. And I saw the airbag when I passed
19:36by, slowed down, was deployed. And there was another vehicle as well nearby, also supposedly
19:44involved in the accident. Mark, again, very unfortunate situation. And, you know, we have
19:49spoke on length about this, you know, from a legal context. Strictly, we have spoken about,
19:54you know, social intervention, you know, engaging families to get involved in the discussion,
19:58to appreciate the risk associated with persons who are in charge of motor vehicles on the roadway.
20:04And, you know, while you may have indicated coming back from a football game, well,
20:07there is no confirmation as to whether these persons may have been part of the game and that
20:12sort of thing. You know, I want to take this opportunity because we are also in a campaign
20:16where there's an increase in the use of the road by both pedestrians and motor vehicles.
20:23I want to call on these political parties, you know, respectfully this afternoon,
20:28that when you're on your platform, I want you to take one minute of your time,
20:33whether in the beginning, whether in the middle, whether in the end. And the end might be most
20:39appropriate to emphasize upon those persons who are following you, who are supporting you.
20:46That their life matters because there may be another meeting that they have to attend to.
20:51Please, political parties, I want you all to assist us to be able to protect the citizenry
20:57of Trinidad and Tobago by using your platform and advocating for public safety and security,
21:03and more importantly, to ensure that there is safety on the nation roads. Please, at least,
21:08let us get involved. We are seeing these issues continue to occur, persons losing their life,
21:14or lives, I should say, and I'm asking you all now to join by using your platform because Mark,
21:19sometimes these meetings may come to an end, probably nine, ten, half ten, eleven,
21:24then persons may have set out since earlier on any day. So, you're going to have some level of
21:29fatigue, you know, tiredness and so forth. So, please ensure that that duty of care for your,
21:35for your, the persons who are supporting you, let us execute that duty of care by reminding them
21:40to proceed safely after the end of those meetings.
21:43Yes, certainly, and you know, even today, on the eastern menu, there was a horrific accident
21:50involving two vehicles. You see here, well, this was actually somewhere in central. This would not
21:57have been the one that happened earlier today. I think this happened yesterday. The vehicle ended
22:03up in, just sort of off the culvert in a drain. We're hopeful that the person or persons that was
22:12in that vehicle were not too badly injured. Again, I don't know how they ended up there,
22:20whether they lost control of the vehicle or rather they were given a bad drive. We don't know
22:26sometimes. Yes. Speed could also have been a factor, but at the end of the day, it's important
22:33to observe that kind of safety on the roadways. Well, you know, I will always use this opportunity
22:37as well, Mark, you know, to continue to call on the police service, the transit police,
22:44the municipal corporation in particular, to be able to continue to, you know, be vigilant,
22:51especially during this period, to continue to be vigilant and, you know, to increase the police
22:57presence. You know, and just by way of reference, you know, probably you have a particular strength
23:02that is dedicated towards traffic and highway patrol. Maybe, and just a, you know, inquiry,
23:07maybe, you know, a consideration, you know, to probably augment because of the heightened
23:12activities on the roadway. So, you know, there's subtle things, but again, the persons who are in
23:18charge of motor vehicles, please be responsible and you said, Mark, that there are a number of
23:23things that could cause persons to get involved in accidents. Yes. And one of the key things as
23:28well is ensuring that your motor vehicle is properly inspected because you may have defective
23:33tires. You may have a defective braking system. So, you know, please understand your vehicle
23:38and take the necessary steps to ensure that your vehicle do not place you and other persons in harm.
23:43Most certainly. And I know, I'm sorry that we don't have the video, but the accident sometime
23:49mid-morning today on Eastern Main Road, I think CGA, looked pretty bad because it involved,
23:56I think it was a telecommunications van that overturned on the divider there and another,
24:05I think it was a Ford Ranger or something, pretty smashed up. I don't know if he would have struck
24:10the van that caused the van to spin over, turn at least once or twice before it landed
24:16on its side. Yes. And that front portion of that range, I believe, or it might have been a front,
24:23I can't recall. I saw, I did see the video. So certainly, you know, I'm hopeful that those
24:29persons who were, you know, going to work or on, well, working in that telecommunications van,
24:36I saw the name of the van, but I don't want to call it on here. And also the gentleman or the
24:41persons that were in the other vehicle, I'm hopeful that they were not too badly hurt.
24:48Well, you know, most certainly, Mark. And, you know, just one final thing with reference to,
24:52because we are solution oriented when we are on this platform, you know, we're talking about
24:56a possible reform or review of the education system. You know, when persons are approaching
25:01seventeen, eighteen, they're probably in their readiness for provisional permits,
25:05driver's permits. That may be one of the area where we make it an educational approach. Take
25:09an educational approach, sorry, where in secondary schools that we have a period dedicated to start
25:15now teaching persons about road safety in advance. So that, you know, you're starting
25:20to create a level of awareness because these persons, these students will soon be entering
25:25the licensing fraternity to be able to obtain provisional permits and driver's permits. So
25:31do not only wait on our regulation and our driving test when the time comes, but be teaching
25:35matters that relates to road safety. So we're having good citizens and we're having persons
25:40who appreciate the everyday routine that we are exposed to on a daily basis. So just a little
25:46thinking and suggestions. Remind me in the next segment, if not the following segment,
25:52there was an incident that I was involved in, well, almost an incident that I would like to
25:57talk about when we, when we get some time. Sure. A little later on in the program.
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29:32Welcome back to Beyond the Tape. I'm your host, Mark Bassan, joined today by acting Sergeant Zahir
29:37Ali of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service and attorney at law. And of course, you know,
29:41we have this segment, Voice of the People, where we get your suggestions, your opinions
29:46about the crime situation. Let's take a quick look.
30:02Mr. West, have you ever been a victim of crime in this country?
30:10Not personally, but the house that I live in, we were victims of crime.
30:15They broke in, they stole money from my daughter that she had there.
30:21Su-su money, I'm saying, too. Call the Carnage Police Station, up to this day, they ain't come.
30:26And that happened at least a year and a half to two years ago.
30:32So what does that say?
30:35You tell me.
30:37And we live in about a five minute drive away from the station.
30:42What are your thoughts on the crime situation in Trinidad?
30:44It's bad. It's bad. Other than that incident, I haven't personally been affected by it, but it's
30:50bad. It's bad. There are a lot of people afraid to come out now because they don't know what will
30:57happen, especially in the night. There's a friend of mine's, um, or should I say, family. I think
31:06she works for the police service. She doesn't want to be out on the road too late, alone, driving.
31:12Everybody fear for her.
31:15Do you feel safe at home when they come out to line, when they come out to do their business?
31:20Relatively, I do feel safe here. They say if you have no cocoa and sand, they'll look for you.
31:27Have you changed the way that you do things in terms of, you know, in terms of your hours,
31:31and just to be safer?
31:33And, well, one of the things I don't, sometimes, especially if I'm traveling late, I don't drop
31:40out the same place all the time. I try to mix it up a bit, drop lower down, drop higher up,
31:46drop closer to home. It depends. It depends on the situation. It depends how I feel.
31:51Do you believe there's a connection between crime and poverty?
31:59Hard to answer. Hard to answer. Because we hear people in these so-called depressed areas
32:09always, they complain about poverty, and a lot of times we see they're involved in crime. But, um,
32:13we have these Venezuelans coming here and they're finding jobs. They're working. So, to me,
32:20personally, it's a matter of choice.
32:23In your opinion, what makes a person want to become a criminal?
32:26Now, I wouldn't know. Because I fear police. I fear jail. So, I wouldn't know. You know,
32:34don't laugh at me.
32:35How would you rate the performance of the Trinidad and Tobago police service
32:39as it pertains to the crime situation in this country?
32:44Well, you see, I don't know what you had to stick to. You certainly rate them.
32:51What would you rate them against? If the police are too forceful,
32:56and we see people being murdered, they're blocking the road, they're burning tires,
33:00they're doing all kinds of things. People dying every day, nobody blocking the road. So,
33:05I don't know. So, the police have hands halfway tied. And then, we, as the public, too, I think
33:12we need to be more vigilant and watch each other's back. It's a must. We have more eyes
33:17on the police out here. But nobody sees anything unless it happens to them.
33:24If you see something, would you say something?
33:29That depends on the situation. It depends on the situation.
33:34Could you clarify that?
33:36If I see something happening, and the person who perpetrated the crime, I know that person.
33:42If I can't help it being done,
33:49it's difficult now knowing the person to point them out, because I would become a target now, too.
33:57And too often, we hear about people going in front of the courts, and then they're coming
34:01back out, two, three weeks' time sometimes, just seeing them, to do the same thing they
34:05get locked up for. So, while the police may try to do their job efficiently, what about the system?
34:14The judiciary and things like, what about that system? That needs to fix, too.
34:18Justice denied, too. Delayed is also justice denied. We have people sitting down
34:24in courts for years, and some, they die, and the case has fully gone through, too.
34:28What would be your message to young persons who are getting involved in crime or criminal
34:33activities? Forget crime. Look for a job, look for a trade, look for sports. Forget that. Forget
34:40crime. There's no future in crime. It's short-lived. And if you don't hurt somebody in committing a
34:48crime, you could be hurt committing a crime, too. And then when you get hurt, your family gets hurt,
34:53too, and it's extended from you. Crime doesn't pay.
35:02Crime doesn't pay. Mark, very revealing interview with this particular citizen,
35:13talking open and frank. And, you know, in just as a matter of summary, you know, looking at
35:19persons, that question you asked in terms of whether poverty will prompt criminal activity,
35:25and I want to place this in the minds of the citizenry of Trinidad and Tobago, more so those
35:32who may be inclined or already engaging in criminal activities, unfortunately.
35:37We need to start singing the national anthem a little more often.
35:41And the reason I'm saying that, there's a particular line forged from the love of liberty.
35:49I want us to ponder on the national anthem of Trinidad and Tobago, on that particular
35:55line, forged from the love of liberty, which really explains how precious that constitutional
36:02right to liberty and freedom of movement. So those who are inclined to commit crimes, or those who
36:08are in the act of committing crimes, I want you to pay attention that you are gambling your right to
36:14liberty and your freedom of movement. So I just want to add that to the context, and appreciating
36:21the sacredness of your right to liberty and your freedom of movement. It is very, very important,
36:26and I want you to treat it as important, so that you won't be going with that
36:30mindset, that because you may be facing some hardship, that your first call is to operate
36:37illegally, or within or in breach of the criminal law. And finally, there are too many options
36:44available Mark, and options are not even speaking from a formal context here. Have you reached out
36:49any family member to seek any assistance? Have you reached out to any NGO? Have you reached out to
36:55your religious entities? And then most importantly, have you made applications to the state agencies
37:01like the Ministry of Social Development, to be able to get the assistance that you require, to be able
37:06to feed yourself or your family members. So this concept about being in poverty, that prompts
37:12criminal activity. Mark, I'm sure that I could get many other persons to give examples of the hardship,
37:18the circumstances in which they grew up, but they did not choose a life of crime. As a matter of fact,
37:23it should have been a motivator to do the right things, to get you and your family out of that
37:29particular situation. So just remember the national anthem, forge from the love of liberty.
37:35That is very important for us. And those who want to go back in colonial times will appreciate
37:40what that means to us. Yes, indeed. Thanks for that acting Sergeant Ali. We have a call on the
37:45line. Caller, good afternoon. Good evening, gentlemen. Two quick questions. Good evening, sir.
37:54The person is detained under detention orders. In the press briefings to date, right? The process
38:00to date by the police service. What we have is the statistics on the overall operations and so on.
38:05But I would like to know, with respect to these persons who have had their own detention orders,
38:09particularly where they are related offenses, offenders. If there is a time coming, as the
38:18SOE is due to end soon, whether there will be a breakdown as to how many of them have actually
38:24been charged with offenses which they will go to court and face penalties for due to the detention
38:30orders. And the other one is with regards to the recent decision by Justice Quinlan Williams
38:37regarding people who have not paid their tickets, but they wish to go by the licensing office to do
38:43transaction. Where she dealt with a driver who had went to do a transaction. He had a ticket was
38:49formed, but when the ticket was, the ticket was not attributed to him. It was by a previous driver
38:56of the car that he got ready to transfer. And she said that the, the, the, the, the
39:06the sanction by the licensing office of people in that category, that is where you are not the owner,
39:12you weren't the driver, but when you go to do a transaction, there is an unpaid ticket. She,
39:17she said that that was illegal and irrational. And I think that would be of great interest to
39:23the drivers out there who might find themselves in that situation. In fact, she actually said that,
39:28um, that particular part of the legislation is illegal and it ought to be corrected. So
39:34that's something I think that we might want to speak on in future, right? For the, for the
39:39education of drivers who might find themselves in a situation. Thank you very much caller. Let
39:45me deal with the second one first. Thank you very much for your instructions. However,
39:49we're going to take a short break and we'll be coming back. We promise we'll deal with your
39:53questions.
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42:13The following is a paid political advertisement.
42:36I stand by also giving law-abiding citizens the right to be armed.
42:44Time to rise up, TNT. Forward to UNC. That was a paid political advertisement.
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43:36Welcome back to Beyond the Tape. I'm your host, Mark Bassan, joined today by acting
43:40Sergeant Zahir Ali of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service and Attorney at Law,
43:43and I know you have to respond to the caller's questions.
43:46Thank you very much, Mark. And to the caller, you know, I acknowledge, you know,
43:49two beautiful submissions. Let me take the second one first. Thank you very much for,
43:54you know, bringing a light or creating awareness of that judgment that you spoke about from
43:58Justice Quinlan-Williams. With reference to in simplicity, it, you know, was a policy
44:04that was laid down and a policy cannot be ultra-viral, should not be ultra-viral,
44:07the laws of Trinidad and Tobago. And in that particular instance, in terms of the outstanding
44:13tickets and packed in someone enjoyment of property to be able to, you know, treat with
44:17their property in terms of a transaction, you know, a sale, you know, I'll deal with that,
44:21you know, subsequently, but, you know, I'm aware of the judgment. So thank you very much for
44:25your request and I'll ensure that the people of Trinidad and Tobago benefit from that particular
44:29judgment. And the first issue in relation to the detention order, I'm aware that there's
44:35discussions ongoing with reference to those persons who are presently on detention orders
44:40with the view of completing those investigations and with the view of preferring criminal charges,
44:45whether during the period of their detention or even if they are released, those inquiries
44:49would not come to an end. So I know that discussion is ongoing. But again, thank you
44:53very much for raising those issues and the urgency with dealing with those persons who
44:59clearly, based on the intelligence, based on credible information, were posing a threat to
45:05public safety and security. Yes, certainly. All right. I think we have another call on the line.
45:10Caller, good evening. Hi, good evening. Go ahead, sir. Go ahead. Yes, sir. I'd just like to
45:18verify or make a comment. Okay, I was looking at the program just now and I saw
45:28an interview on the street with a pedestrian and the question was asked to the pedestrian
45:35whether they think crime is linked to poverty. But
45:43I believe that presently there are politicians, a lot of high-profile people,
45:53facing court for corruption charges, which also is crime. So I would like to get clarification
46:02whether these people committed this crime based on poverty.
46:14Because the question was asked whether crime is connected to poverty.
46:21So I would like to know if these high-profile people are in fact facing poverty. Thank you.
46:31All right. All yours. Caller, thank you very much. Mark, I always told you
46:35that members of the public, the citizenry of Trinidad and Tobago, they are persons who are
46:40thinking. And you know why that question may have been posed and we may have responded it from a
46:45context of whether poverty will be a cause to, you know, for one to commit crime. What a beautiful
46:50submission or I should say a quest, an inquiry as to persons who may be quote-unquote at reasonable
46:57standard of living, also based on the statistics, commit criminal activity. So the question is it
47:04has to be looked at in greater context. And when he spoke about the issue of corruption,
47:10it may not be a situation of poverty in those instances in my respectful view.
47:13It may be a situation where the system, the opportunity to continue to derive benefits
47:19and the opportunity to compromise where you may be holding a particular role and function,
47:24and you may see opportunity to be able to deviate from the processes, you know,
47:29another context to consider. But caller, thank you very much for bringing that as well. And
47:34to the citizenry, this is the level of thinking and analysis, very critical to ensure that as a
47:39society, we are always ahead in relation to our thinking. And we should always ensure that we
47:45make our voices heard responsibly. So those who may be looking for a resolution, looking for
47:52answers, looking for a way to approach issues, you all are bringing it to them because we live
47:56here together. So caller, thank you very much. Yes, certainly. And I mean, you know, it's an
48:00important question. And the way you ask it, of course, you know, yes, I was in a workshop on
48:04Monday. And we talked about not just violent crime, but, you know, serious white collar crime,
48:11which is also rampant and existent in this country and across the world. Yes. And it has to be
48:17treated with the parity that we have when we talk about violent crime. There's also a lot of
48:24white collar crime happening, fraud and so on, where millions and millions of dollars
48:28are being lost by victims. And, you know, there must be some accountability for the persons who
48:34are responsible in the same measure, tantamount to the crime of murder. Yeah, I mean, when you
48:44look at different crime, you have result crime, you have crime of consequences. So you have to
48:48look at crime and look at the nature of the crime. So he took us from, you know, what may, you know,
48:52be a situation where persons are, as I said before, enjoying a good standard of living,
48:59but still in pursuit of earning more through wrong means. And again, I'm happy that you said,
49:04Mark, in terms of looking at it from a balanced context, both from a blue collar context and from
49:09a white collar context. And hence why we must not forget that part of it in terms of white collar.
49:14Let's accept it. We are in urgent need of the full proclamation of the Civil Asset
49:24for Feature and Unexplained Wealth Act. It was partly proclaimed. And that is a very serious
49:29piece of legislation that in my respective view, if I were to be advocating, and I did it at a
49:34recent crime symposium in EWI, University of the West Indies, and I'm going to say it again,
49:38that we need a full proclamation of that particular legislation to be able to
49:42deal with white collar crime. All right, we're going to take a short break and we'll be back.
49:46Stay with us.
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53:31Welcome back to Beyond the Tape. I'm your host Mark Bassan, joined today by acting Sergeant
53:34Zahir Ali at Inyat Law with the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service, and I know we just have
53:40a couple of minutes left, and I know there's some things heating up over the last couple
53:44of hours on social media, but any closing thoughts for our viewers? Well as always Mark,
53:52you know I want to take this opportunity to thank the viewers for their participation,
53:56active participation, and you know the two or three callers you know this afternoon, you know
54:03bringing matters that are you know of benefit, not only to the platform, but to the general
54:10citizenry of Trinidad and Tobago. So I want to acknowledge you all as always, the law enforcement
54:14agencies, the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service, the Defense Force, and other supporting agencies
54:21moving from a state of emergency, and now we're in an election campaign,
54:25you know very very very important times in Trinidad and Tobago, and safety and security
54:30resides with us. We have to ensure that our citizens are safe to be able to exercise their
54:36right, or their rights as the case may be, and then to also enjoy those rights. So I want to
54:41call on you to continue to give your best for Trinidad and Tobago, and I ask the citizenry
54:48with reference to the election campaign where I begin Mark, to appreciate that your conduct and
54:54your behavior must be one that is responsible. I'm actually pleading with you all to be responsible.
54:59We know that the emotions will be high, we know that it's a very sensitive period, but please be
55:06responsible, and be ensure that you exercise good judgment as you as you go about your business.
55:12And then important as well Mark, over the weekend you know the Baptist, the Shorter Baptist community,
55:18and also the Muslim community, I want to take this opportunity on this weekend
55:22to wish both organizations a safe, happy, and religious period, and may God
55:31continue to accept all your good deeds. So I want to wish you all, both
55:37organizations, and you know what Mark, like you said before, a lot is happening, and I know that
55:44you may have some things to say, or TV6, but I want to hand back over to you, but again it's a
55:50pleasure, it's an honor, it's a privilege to be here, and to the people who have been meeting and
55:55engaging. It is very warming, it is very encouraging and inspiring, so I just want to share that to you
56:00all. May God bless all of us. Yes certainly, and I know as we go, we have about a minute left and a
56:06little bit, I too would like to endorse the sentiments of acting Sergeant Ali as we go into
56:14this long weekend, observing a Shorter Baptist liberal day, as well as Ido Futur, and of course
56:23you know we live in a very multicultural, multi-religious society, and we have to respect
56:30everyone's faith, and of course their religion, and it's extremely important that you know we,
56:36while enjoying the holiday, that we take time to reflect on these particular holidays, and
56:45their meaning, you know even if you're not a Muslim or a Shorter Baptist, but they are religious
56:52holidays, which are meaning for various religious sects, and we obviously want to respect that,
57:01as well as every other religion or religious holiday that comes down the line after that. So
57:08Sydney is going to be a long holiday. But Mark, just before you, before you, you know, bring that
57:12tolerance that we spoke about, you're bringing me smack into that, that tolerance even from a
57:16religious context, so I'm happy that you raised that. Yes, of course, and you know just quickly,
57:20there's a community justice clinic that is happening in the Southern Division on Saturday
57:28at three locations, I think, to Tooruba, sorry, two locations in Tooruba, community centre, and
57:34another location, and there's certainly some things happening on social media with a particular
57:40police officer, but, right, and Tooruba and St Manon, yes, that's it. All right, remember,
57:47repeat tonight at 11.30. We run tomorrow at 11 o'clock. The TV6 News is up next. Stay with us.
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