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00:00Parents, strongly caution. This program contains some material that is unsuitable for young children.
00:30Beyond the tape, we'll be back after these messages.
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03:06Welcome to Beyond the Tape. I'm your host, Mark Bassan. Welcome Trinidad and Tobago, and of course, our viewers across the globe.
03:19It's day 94 of the state of emergency, and of course, we're coming out of a very long weekend, and I hope you had a safe and enjoyable weekend.
03:28And today, of course, is Legally Speaking Wednesdays, and today with us is Acting Sgt. Zahir Ali, a Tenant Lawyer of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service. Welcome, sir. How are you?
03:38Good evening to you, Mark. Again, it's a pleasure to be on this platform, having had the opportunity.
03:45And I wouldn't say a long weekend, but a weekend that was mixed with both professional and other obligations.
03:54Good evening to Jackie and other family members on Beyond the Tape, my law enforcement colleagues, the various agencies and supporting agencies, and most importantly, the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago.
04:07Mark, as always, and especially now, while we are approaching the end of the period of the state of emergency, we are also in a campaign that is picking up a lot of speed.
04:18And I always take this opportunity to urge members of the public to continue to be responsible and embrace and cherish this opportunity that we have as a democracy, to ensure that you uphold the rule of law at the same time in pursuit of upholding the democracy.
04:37Yes, certainly. And I know over the weekend, this long weekend, we had a lot of road exercises. I know that there were some persons going up into the Maracas Bay area, and they were caught in quite some serious traffic there from the pillars, because I think from Saturday, even on Sunday, people reportedly were in traffic going into that area for like almost two to three hours before they got onto the beachfront.
05:03And even coming out in the afternoon period, they were faced with similar. And of course, this is in Porto, Spain, of course, the exercise had been conducted over the weekend in the Porto, Spain area. One of many exercises I imagine that the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service would have conducted, of course, over the weekend.
05:25Yeah, yes. And, you know, Mark, that travel to the north coast, you know, has always been a very sensitive matter. And, you know, the looking on the roadway, you know, it's important for persons to, you know, take or exercise care as they, you know, move from, you know, the Porto, Spain, the Marava, the Santa Cruz area when they're going over the hills into Maracas Bay.
05:52So, you know, it is we anticipated that you're going to have a buildup of traffic, both going and coming, and especially over a long weekend where persons are looking to get the opportunity to go and relax, you know, and share a moment with their family. So what was good, I see that you didn't report any incidents emerging from that particular weekend.
06:09Yes. And, you know, we give praise and thanks to the Lord first off and to the motorists, you know, we have called them to be responsible and perhaps, you know, over the weekend, you know, we have seen the, I should say, a period of law and order, if I should say that. And, you know, it's good to see and let's hope that we can continue to be responsible.
06:40RTAs, homicides, and other violent crime and so on will diminish and decrease so that we don't have, you know, that upsurge of any sort, even after the state of emergency has concluded.
06:53Well, critical mark. And, you know, I hope that, you know, when I, you know, how I want to view this particular campaign, this particular period, is for every single citizen, including persons who may be on criminal activities or who may be involved in criminal activities, to use this opportunity to redirect yourself.
07:07Use this opportunity to redirect yourself, you know, refocus, you know, appreciate exactly how much you should be appreciating in Trinidad and Tobago in terms of where you enjoy this right to be able to, you know, to exercise your right to the choice of your political party, to associate, you know, freedom of movement, you know, enjoy these rights.
07:28They are very sacred. We have fought for them. And I think this is a great opportunity for every single citizen, you know, to utilize this opportunity to focus. Focus and understand what it is to be a national of Trinidad and Tobago, a true patriot.
07:42You know, I hope that, you know, my suggestion will be for persons to really, you know, rediscover themselves if they would have lost themselves, you know, to criminal activities or any wrongdoing.
07:52So I want to share it. Yes, very important time. And, you know, make, you know, wise decisions. And from a state of emergency context, Mark, while we are descending, it's important for us to maintain our intensity with reference to crime prevention and crime detection.
08:06And, you know, a lot have been asked of the TTPS and supporting agencies about persons who have been arrested under the preventative orders. What next? You know, and I want to urge members of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service in particular to continue to build out those cases quickly because these persons, you know, we need to, you know, set and uphold the rule of law, I should say.
08:28Enforce the rule of law to ensure that there's a deterrent for staff and the whole persons who have been impacting public safety and security to put them to the righteous place before a court of competent jurisdiction to be able to adjudicate on the matters. But again, very serious matters and let's hope that the intensity is maintained with reference to law and order.
08:46Most certainly. Alright, it's day ninety-four of the state of emergency. We want to take a look at the updated figures.
09:17Traffic offenses detected sixteen thousand one hundred and nineteen. Farms recovered one hundred and eighty-two. Ammunition recovered thirty-eight hundred and six. Dangerous drug seized four hundred and eighty-two thousand six hundred and sixty-five grams of cannabis or marijuana.
09:33Thirty-four thousand five hundred and fifteen grams of cocaine. Eighty point eight grams of ecstasy. Eight grams of Xanax. Fifty-three grams of molly and five grams of crystal meth.
09:44Well, again, I want to acknowledge the statistics of the TDPS and supporting agencies. You know, Mark, when you look at statistics, it's supposed to represent the success. It's supposed to represent the work of the law enforcement agencies and you know, I want to salute and acknowledge the officers who are responsible, you know, for putting the statistics but again, while the hours are going by, you know, to ensure that the critical areas, for example, like the firearm seizure.
10:10Yeah. And I want to just add to it. Not only the firearm seizure. You know, it's important for us. I always advocate that firearm on itself really poses no harm strictly speaking but a firearm in an individual hand is now it starts to create a threat to public safety and security and I think that what we should be attempting to do is have a conjunctive approach in terms of looking at the firearms but persons who may be in actual or constructive possession of those firearms.
10:38So, for members of the public who are called upon to provide intelligence and information in regards to firearms, you know, the AR-15s, the pistols, the shotguns and so forth, you know, it's critical for you all to also provide us with the information as to persons who are or is in constructive possession if not actual possession of those firearms so that we get maximum impact from the resources that, you know, that the state is expending in relation to these activities.
11:08So, I just want to urge you all to continue to, you know, to respond and respond positively because firearms in the hands of persons is what creates a threat to public safety and security. So, I wanted us to, you know, just remind you of that.
11:21Yeah, I don't know if my producer has the gun retrieval program that was initiated with the help of Crime Stoppers and the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service that gives the various awards or rewards rather for any firearms recovered. Alright, we're going to go now to our headlines.
11:51So, those are some of the headlines within the last 24 hours.
12:18And, of course, we were talking about road traffic accidents. We had a couple over the weekend. We have a couple of videos to show you. We had one in the QRC area as well as this is in the QRC area here, a van plowing into the barricade, well, the fencing of the Queens Royal College there around the Savannah.
12:41So, we hope for that that person was not injured badly but clearly some damage there to that barricade that surrounds the college.
12:53Yes, Mark. And, you know, when we would have acknowledged a while ago, we're looking at, you know, this road traffic accident that results in death, you know, very serious accidents. And while you would have the minor incidents, you know, persons may just drop asleep or, you know, perhaps, you know, under the influence and, you know, minor accidents which, you know, they need to pay attention to.
13:11Generally speaking from a RTA context, you know, that weekend in terms of serious accidents, you know, we're happy to see, you know, that was not present, you know, for my record, for my information. But, again, a clarion call for us to continue to be responsible with reference to being in charge of motor vehicles.
13:31And as we get to the peak season, Mark, in this campaign, you know, this is going to be the campaign in itself going to create frequency in terms of public meetings, the duration and other activities. And it's important for us to hold our own within the next, you know, couple of weeks to ensure that we continue to create a safe and secure society, notwithstanding that we're in an election period.
13:55And Mark, just to go back to the issue of the notice inviting members of the public in relation to the Ministry of National Security initiative with the reward, I should say, that will be given to persons who are calling in firearms and the various forms of firearms. And we've seen it on the screen.
14:12Yes. You know, I just want to acknowledge the initiative of the Ministry of National Security with reference to this particular move. But importantly, Mark, I want to emphasize on members of the public that here we have to use an initiative of funding, I should say, a reward. But citizens of Trinidad and Tobago, we should not, in my respectful view, we should not be looking for a reward to be able to report where firearms and ammunition that has the capacity to threaten persons.
14:42We should be looking at public safety and public safety can, you are part of public safety. Sometimes we miss this point that you are part of public safety because you can be aware, Mark, just to, you know, analyze it a little bit. You can be aware where there's a stash of firearms and ammunition. But you don't know whether in fact that firearm will engage a transaction that goes to another location. And you or your family or child may be passing in that location where you feel that firearm may not be.
15:06To only know that the stash that you overlooked is the stash where that firearm came from that caused collateral damage. So, Trinidad and Tobago, I do think that we need to be rewarded to be able to provide credible intelligence to ensure that our communities, our country is safe. But the initiative is there and let us, you know, not only report the firearms, but as I said before, report the persons who are in control so that we can get maximum impact with reference to this initiative.
15:36Yes, we're hopeful of that. Alright, we're going to take a short break and we'll be back. Stay with us.
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18:32And of course, unfortunately, there was another accident over the long weekend involving a 61-year-old individual who apparently in the south of which area who apparently died in that accident.
18:46Really unfortunate, you know. We talk about road safety, we talk about speed and other factors that obviously can definitely contribute. If you are not, if you are unable to control your vehicle, if somebody who's driving fast happens to run into you, you know, this is the consequences, you know.
19:08And Mark again, you know, when you see incidents like this, there are many factors that we need to consider and it's not a single factor that one will have to consider in a situation like this. And you know, it starts with like with a motor vehicle and we have spoken about it.
19:24Whether the vehicle is properly inspected, the responsibility of the driver, even other road users, you know, and sometimes there are situations where even motorists like driving dangerously, it results in other persons coming into contact with other persons.
19:43So again, we have to be responsible in all respects and continue to recognize and appreciate the seriousness and I continue to quote this and I hope that it remains with us. The seriousness when you are irresponsible or you're in charge of a motor vehicle is a very, very serious matter.
20:00Yes, indeed. Yes, indeed. So we have a video in the Powder Magazine area, Cocorite. I think it was over the weekend involving a shooting. Two persons, I understand, were shot and injured in this particular incident.
20:22And they've been taken down the stairway of the building there. As you can see, you know, apparently both persons were shot by unknown gunmen who later escaped. So certainly they took the time to get up there and attack the victims and then left.
20:43Well, Mark, when you see what you have just described, it's a clear demonstration that when persons are intended or bent on committing crimes, there are no barriers. There are no boundaries. They will seek you out. And hence why, you know, our response to that should recognize immediately that criminal elements and those who are bent on threatening public safety and that results in collateral damage, they really are not deserving of being among us.
21:13They are not deserving of being members of the society to enjoy, you know, what society has to offer and, you know, they have created a prison for those persons to be basically displaced from the general society because of their behavior and their conduct. So again, a perfect example. I think it would appear to be a fleet of stairs. It looked like a building set up.
21:33Yes.
21:35If you look down, you see the number, a lot of staircases there. That looks like at least six, seven stories up if you really looked down and you could see that. So it's quite a height and the persons would have gone through quite a great deal of trouble to get up to that building, a couple floors up, shoot the individuals and then escape.
21:59Well, while the facts, you know, is not disclosed, again, there's the circumstances, you know, is one that we should be concerned of. And again, persons, criminal element actors will seek you out. And, you know, you see persons who are holding on perhaps to their loved ones, to their neighbors, you know, to render care.
22:20This is the sort of circumstances when we have, you know, criminal activities. And when you feel that our community is not affected, that's a clear situation where the community is affected. So it's not only the person who may be the deceased or the person who may be nursing gunshot wounds or other wounds, but persons who are called upon now to be able to render care.
22:38They are also in some instances exposing themselves but getting involved in what's happening. So crime is something that is very impactful and it, you know, takes away that peace. Could you imagine in that building, Mark? I'm sure that there are other apartments that persons occupy, even children, you know, to wake up or to be exposed to that level of criminality.
22:58It, you know, it places that whole community, that whole housing settlement, yeah, in a state of worry and bother, again, what crime. And crime continues to be an issue that is of importance to every single citizen, every single community. And we are seeing in the campaign.
23:16Yes, yes. And it will continue to be, for the next at least four weeks, very topical, you know, on the platforms. It will be very topical as persons will obviously give their take and what recommendations they believe on all sides will be beneficial to the public going forward. Alright, so we're going to take a short break and we'll be back. Stay with us.
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25:43Welcome back to Beyond the Tape. I'm your host, Mark Bassan, joined today by acting Sgt. Sahir Ali of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service and attorney at law.
25:55And you know, we have been featuring over the last couple of weeks, voice of the people, getting our feedback from persons, their opinions, their suggestions on how to better deal with, as we were talking about earlier on, the crime situation.
26:07Just let's take a look as we spoke to somebody in Port of Spain a couple of weeks ago.
26:13Have you ever been a victim of crime in any way?
26:38No.
26:41How would you assess the crime situation in Trinidad and Tobago as we speak now?
26:48I would say that it definitely ranges in terms of communities.
26:54So I know where I am. Well, I live in Belmont. And to most, when they hear that, they'll be like, oh, that's not really like a good area. But for me personally, I live in what would be considered like a good part of Belmont.
27:07So while I will know, I could say definitely when I was younger, where I lived, it was worse, because like I have been, well, my family has been like victims of like break-ins and things like that.
27:17But now, in like recent times, I can't say that me or anyone in like my immediate vicinity experiences things like that.
27:26But I could definitely say like further, like deeper into Belmont, like around Duval Road and St. Francis, where crime has been definitely more noticeable.
27:36So while I could say, because I haven't experienced anything recently, oh, well, you know, crime is not bad, I could definitely see for other people living in more, I guess, crime prone areas, that it could be like more intense.
27:53So I would say that it's definitely there, but it would affect everybody differently.
27:59Good answer. As a young woman, do you feel safe at your home, at work, climbing, conducting business when you move about?
28:07I feel safe at home, but like that's really the most I could say.
28:14Even traveling, I feel a little uneasy almost every day because, you know, even if it's not anybody like coming out and like attacking you, you definitely deal with a lot of harassment on a daily basis and you kind of have to just block it out.
28:30So in terms of like if I wanted to climb or like hang out with my friends who are also women, we wouldn't really feel comfortable doing that.
28:38And like our parents, like even though like we're adults, obviously, but just knowing that the sun is down and we're outside, it makes everybody very uneasy.
28:48So I don't really, I wouldn't say I feel comfortable like being outside.
28:53I feel comfortable at work because, well, it's work and there's security there.
28:57But even with customers, a lot of them, men specifically, they could be very inappropriate.
29:02And, you know, you have to still maintain that level of professionalism while also making sure to safeguard yourself.
29:10And sometimes it could feel like you're choosing between making the sale and maintaining your comfort as a person.
29:19So, no, I wouldn't say I feel especially comfortable.
29:23So you spoke about safeguarding yourself and so on.
29:26What are some of the things that you do to safeguard yourself in terms of when you move around?
29:31I guess the most, I will admit that I'm not really the best at it.
29:37I still try to, to some extent, like maintain the peace when dealing with like unwanted advances.
29:43But something that I would say that I would do is really just not pay them any mind.
29:49Like anybody coming and harassing you or trying to get your attention.
29:54You really just focus on where you have to go and you just block everything out.
29:58But even that sometimes could, I guess, you could get an aggressive response because you're not giving the person your attention.
30:06So for me, I just try to like maintain where I'm going and not stop for anybody, not speak to anybody, like not just make sure I'm going exactly where I'm going.
30:19And I do give like my location to like my family or like my friends so that they know where I am if I'm going somewhere new.
30:26So that would be like the ways that I safeguard myself.
30:30Do you think there's a connection between crime and poverty?
30:35Yes, definitely.
30:37I would say, well, even though like you didn't say this, I would say it's like a mixture of like poverty and a lack of education as well.
30:45So poverty would like directly lead to the lack of education because, you know, that's not really a focus when you don't have food on the table.
30:55You know, you're not really thinking of going to school and getting an education.
30:58You're more thinking of how can I take care of myself right now?
31:00So because you have that lack of education and you don't have the resources to legally go and like purchase things, that definitely leads to an increase in crime, specifically like theft.
31:15So people, it's kind of like, yes, it's crime in that way, but also people are just trying to like put food on their table, you know, and they don't really have any other means of like going out and doing that.
31:28So, yeah, I would say, well, not in every case, but definitely people who have less are more likely to fall into crime more.
31:42Well, certainly a very educated and informed young lady there, acting Sergeant Ali.
31:49Well, again, Mark, you know, I want to acknowledge that particular interview again.
31:53And what stood out to me in relation to this particular matter is that the question that you posed to this individual and the response, from my respectful view, was a clear indication as to how crime impacts many constitutional and legal rights.
32:10Just to give an example, she spoke about the reluctance in terms of movement, where they have to be concerned.
32:17She spoke about the enjoyment of property, the general integrity of the person when you're looking at offences against the person.
32:24So just by way of reference, you've seen crime and criminality, how it impacts the constitutional, the fundamental rights of a citizen in Trinidad and Tobago.
32:33And hence why the state agencies, in partnership with the citizenry of Trinidad and Tobago, must recognize the importance of dealing with crime and dealing with crime head on.
32:43You know, additionally, from a workplace context, she even went into the context of harassment, which I intend to deal with at another time.
32:50But again, sometimes we miss, you know, how easy it is to board on harassment, in terms of harassment, just by way of a subtle example.
32:59Just two acts that are inappropriate or not wanted by the person who you are directing it to can lead you into an act of harassment,
33:07especially if you're putting that person in a position to be placed, you know, to be annoyed or to be, you know, distressed in any way.
33:17You can be boarded on harassment. But again, very focused response.
33:20Again, you've seen as well that areas that may be known for criminal activities, there are also areas within there, based on the interviewee, that may also, they find comfort in some of those areas.
33:32So the whole of Trinidad and Tobago is not plagued with criminal activities.
33:36But the areas that are plagued with criminal activities, members of the public, and I speak directly with you all here,
33:41the 1.3 million people that may be looking on or looking at this program, you know, tonight or tomorrow, let us appreciate that it resides in our hands.
33:51Just as that power in our hands in relation to this election campaign, we also have a power in our hands to assist in detecting and preventing crime in Trinidad and Tobago.
34:01We need to play our role, every single individual.
34:03And again, Mark, interviews, voice of the people, it is critical because you are here in person's thinking.
34:10You are here in their perspective and I hope that the policy makers, I hope that the parliament, I know there is no parliament at this time,
34:16but I hope that when the time comes, the parliament of Trinidad and Tobago will continue to listen to the people of Trinidad and Tobago because we have seen in the past, in the months that have gone by as well, Mark,
34:25that crime impacts even the right to education, where crime is occurring within the vicinity of schools, putting children in a state of panic.
34:33Even in our health center, we saw what happened in the Port of Spain General Hospital.
34:37So, you know, it affects many spheres of life in terms of better institutions, whether the communities or whether the individual constitutional rights.
34:46But again, I love the responses, Mark.
34:49Alright, we talk about voice of the people, we actually have a voice on the phone.
34:52Caller, good evening.
34:53Good evening.
34:55Good evening, Mr. Bassant and to the officer, Mr. Ali.
34:59Good evening, sir.
35:01A couple of issues that have been coming to the area.
35:04I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.
35:08There is an incremental increase in the performance of the TPS.
35:14And I have noticed on the newspaper today, based on meritocracy, we all have an advocacy, we,
35:20because I believe we are all stakeholders in the TPS, a new appointment based, for my judgment, based on meritocracy to the legal department.
35:32And I'm glad that meritocracy is being used to elevate people who have the intelligence and the capability of doing what is required.
35:45We have to be honest with ourselves, the confidence level we have in the TPS is very, very small.
35:52And if as a stakeholder, as a citizen, I'm seeing things based on meritocracy, I'm all for it.
36:00The other issue I want to give my two by four is put into improving the TPS.
36:08And I want to look at recruitment and appointment.
36:12And I want two levels of appointments.
36:17At the higher level inspector level, somebody comes in at that level with possibly a degree.
36:25The other, the low level intakes, I am hoping that they change these requirements to have at least five O-levels.
36:36And these are five O-levels, they are math, English, IT, and Spanish.
36:43And you can use any other thing.
36:45I believe if we start doing that and start recruiting based on meritocracy, we will go a long way.
36:52Because the criminals are two and three steps in front of the average TTPF officer.
36:58I'm not pulling down some of the officers there, but we have to rethink it.
37:03More blaze than bronze.
37:04I hope you enjoy my contribution and have a good evening.
37:08Kuala, thanks so much and we definitely will respond after this break.
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40:27Welcome back to Beyond the Tape.
40:29I'm your host, Mark Bassan, joined today by acting Sergeant Zahir Ali, attorney at law with the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service.
40:35And I know you have to respond to the caller.
40:37Thank you very much, Mark.
40:39Caller, again, let me acknowledge some very focused and direct submissions, you know, to the platform.
40:46And, you know, there's a word that you use, Mark.
40:49That word, merit or meritocracy.
40:51A very important word, and I'm happy that you placed that, you know, into the domain this afternoon.
40:55In every respect, not only among the TTPS, but in other institutions, even from a private center context.
41:02That very critical in terms of promoting that particular principle or that particular concept.
41:07If we want to get the best persons to be able to lead our organizations, you know, and to lead, you know, our various institutions, you know, in the greater public interest and for the greater public good.
41:18So I'm happy that you make mention of that.
41:19And, you know, when I reflect, Mark, in 2017, there was a policeman power audit that was chaired by Professor Ramesh Deosaran.
41:29Yes.
41:30Of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, with a very diverse committee.
41:35And, you know, looking at that particular recommendation, coming out of that recommendation, when we speak about the next issue of appointment, that he specifically called for using different routes for promotion and for appointment within the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service in particular.
41:49So, again, very healthy issues.
41:50And, you know, I want to take the opportunity to acknowledge, you know, he recognized the appointment of Mr. Ram that Philip of head legal, you know, taking over for Mr. Ferguson.
41:59You know, and I also want to acknowledge the appointment and, you know, wish him the very best in that particular department.
42:05So, again, thank you very much for your submissions.
42:08Thanks, Sergeant Ali.
42:10We have another call in line.
42:11Good evening.
42:13Good evening.
42:15Good evening, ma'am.
42:17Officer, the JLSC and the LAPT, what is the real difference?
42:22Who are they really responsible for, those two organizations?
42:26And, you know, what are the differences?
42:28That's my first point.
42:29My second point is, how can one person who has, who that they have said is a serial arsonist, can be allowed so many times to either threaten or, you know, allow fire?
42:42How does the law deal with arsonists?
42:45Thank you very much.
42:46Be safe, all of you.
42:48Caller, I try my best to decipher exactly the two issues here.
42:53You know, you came in a bit muffled.
42:54I don't know whether, in fact, Mark, you heard the two questions.
42:57Actually, I thought it was a little bit muffled, some of the things that, something to do with the Law Association of Trinidad and Tobago.
43:05Oh.
43:06And the J, or JLSC.
43:09Okay, so the Judicial, Legal, and Service Commission.
43:11Yes.
43:12It's the authorized constitutional body for the appointment of persons in the, you know, High Court of Trinidad and Tobago, in particular.
43:22So, it's a very important body.
43:26And I thought you were going down the road, Mark.
43:28I saw earlier today that the Law Association also made a publication calling for a review of the saving clause in the Constitution of Trinidad and Tobago.
43:36Where, you know, for those who may be familiar or those who are not familiar, the saving clause basically is protecting existing laws.
43:44Laws that were there before our independence constitution.
43:47So, those laws basically maintain its supremacy in the current constitution by virtue of the saving clause.
43:52And, you know, we saw some recent judgments in the courts of Trinidad and Tobago that seems to be leaning, or I should say, being guided by the saving clause in order to shape the judgment.
44:03So, the Law Association have called for a review of that saving clause, you know, which finds itself in our constitution.
44:11So, a very interesting argument, a very interesting topic as we go along.
44:15But, basically, you know, the second issue, I didn't get the second issue at all.
44:21So, Kola, my humble apologies and perhaps I'll get it from Jackie and probably respond to you on the other occasion.
44:28I think that, oh, the arson attack.
44:32She's making reference to an arson attack.
44:35I'm not, I also was not hearing her properly.
44:44Yeah, I think how the law deals with a person who threatens somebody that they're going to burn their property or their building down or whatever it might be the case.
44:52Something to that effect.
44:54Well, just to be responsible, Mark, because, you know, I know that we are trying to decipher and I do not want to be responding to a matter that is, you know, I don't have the full facts or the exact question because I'll probably do an injustice to the Kola.
45:06So, Kola, I'll decipher it from Jackie or if not, you can call back and, you know, ask the question again.
45:12Fair enough.
45:13All right.
45:14So, we're moving on.
45:15There was an incident in the gas parlor area a couple of days ago.
45:19We want to just take you to some video footage of that incident.
45:50So, I guess we can speak as we see there.
45:53You can explain to the viewers.
45:58Well, Mark, when, you know, looking at this particular video, what I want to be, I'm going to be very generic with reference to when police are executing their duties, the law gives them certain authority and power.
46:15When there's a breach of the criminal law, they have a power of arrest.
46:18And importantly here, when they are going to effect the power of arrest, whether it be by true words or whether they have to use force, physical force, it's important that once an offense has been committed, that any action that may place the officer or impede the officer or obstruct the officer or threaten the officer or even in some cases where the officer is assaulted can also lead you into things like obstructing a police officer, resisting arrest, or even assaulting a police officer.
46:45So, they are very serious offenses and these are things, Mark, I always call for great public awareness.
46:50That sometimes members of the public may not be aware and while ignorance of the law is no defense, I think it's important for us to appreciate that members of the public need to be educated on a daily basis to appreciate that when police officers are executing their duties, especially to effect an arrest, anytime that you are impeding, you are obstructing, you are threatening, you can be, you know, attracting additional offenses on yourself.
47:12So, I think we need to create some further educational workshops and community engagement so that we can properly deal with these issues because these issues, Mark, can easily lead to a situation where deadly force is used.
47:24If a police officer's life or the police officer believes his life or the life of his colleagues is in immediate danger.
47:32So, very serious situations and as where police authorities are concerned, it is a very, very serious power, a very serious authority and members of the public, please appreciate that cooperation, cooperation, you will have the opportunity to exercise your rights.
47:48You will be given the opportunity to consult an attorney and due process will be followed but please be very careful in how you respond to police officers when they are in the execution of their duties and Mark, I want to reemphasize this point to balance the scale.
48:04The police officers must have legitimate reason to arrest. If they do not have a legitimate reason to arrest and persons are responding, they may be in their right to be able to respond because there was no need or no authority or no breach of the law for the police to have any power of arrest in these circumstances.
48:21I just want to be devil's advocate here. At the beginning of the video, we know that there is an attempt to arrest the individual and I saw at a particular time, the person was being held but is it customary of you to resist that you can be struck?
48:40What the law gives Mark under the criminal law section four, criminal law section four, the police officer may use such force as reasonable in the circumstances to prevent crime or to effect an arrest or to assist in the lawful arrest. Important point here.
48:56But within reason though.
48:57Well, that's reasonable cause. So again, the reasonable cause will be based on what is transpiring in the circumstances to be able to assist in effecting the arrest. So if the person becomes difficult, you will have to know much the level of force in relation to the person who is now creating a situation that becomes difficult.
49:12Now, importantly, Mark, and I like to balance the equation. While I am advocating for the police powers of arrest and use of force in to be able to prevent crime or to effect an arrest or to assist persons who may be effecting a lawful arrest, that word arrest normally comes when there's a breach of the criminal law.
49:32So the police officers must have reasonable cause to believe or suspect that an offence has been committed, which will give them the power to go on effect an arrest. If there is no contravention of the criminal law, and you're going to interact with members of the public, you can be harassing, assaulting because you have no jurisdiction, you have no authority to be engaging. So I want to balance the equation on both sides. And hence why in closing, education, public awareness on this particular matter.
49:55Yes, thanks for clearing that up. And of course, it was persons very close to why the officers were effecting the arrest. And we obviously want to implore you when the officers are doing their job, do not go within a particular, you know, proximity to them, you have to allow them to do their jobs, right? Okay, we're going to take a short break, and we'll be back. Stay with us.
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51:53Welcome back to Beyond the Tape, I'm your host Mark Wilson, joined today by Acting Sergeant Zaheer Ali, Attorney at Law with the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service.
52:14We have a couple minutes left, I see you're getting a little bit anxious, so go right ahead.
52:20Well, not only really anxious Mark, it's also an emotional moment for me and I want to ask the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago to join with me and so too yourself Mark and other persons.
52:29In a couple of days, my parents both will be celebrating their wedding anniversary and it's something that I've seen over the years and something that I've observed.
52:45I want to take this opportunity publicly with you all to wish them God's fair life, a happy, enjoyable wedding anniversary.
52:56I ask the Almighty God to provide many more opportunities for them to enjoy as they move forward.
53:05Mark, I use that as an opportunity to express the importance of proper parenting.
53:11With both parents, I've seen the sacrifices that they have made to my family and I want to also, on behalf of my family and I, express a happy wedding anniversary.
53:21Also, my mom will be celebrating her birthday a couple of days later.
53:24So, a lot's in the air and I ask the Almighty God to bless them with good physical and mental health during this period.
53:31So, I want to thank you and TB6 for the opportunity to echo those sentiments.
53:36And how many years are we talking about here?
53:38Well, yeah, I know you're doing some research, Mark.
53:40We have 45 years of wedding anniversary and I think you probably have some...
53:44Yes, yes. And for those that don't know, 45 years is the Sapphire anniversary.
53:49So, there are five short of the gold anniversary, which is 50.
53:54And for those not now starting out, he and I learned a couple of things in terms of the anniversary and the years.
54:00The first is paper.
54:02The 10th is tin and the 20th is china.
54:05And of course, the 25th is silver, right?
54:08We all know that.
54:09But intermittently, I was not sure what was the title for the 45th.
54:13I know about the gold and so on.
54:15Yes.
54:16So, 45 is quite a long time, eh?
54:18Yeah, I mean, 45, if you flesh it out, Mark, you know, a lot of knowledge, a lot of experience and most importantly, a lot of wisdom.
54:25So, again, you know, to the parents out there, for the persons who have their parents, you know, appreciate them, you know, respect them, cherish them, you know, because it's very important.
54:34And, you know, we say that when we're speaking about crime and criminality, the importance of the home, to have solid foundations.
54:40And, you know, I want to salute my parents, Hassam Ali and Zubida Ali, this afternoon.
54:44And I want to thank you again, Mark.
54:46Alright, congratulations to you guys.
54:48Remember, repeat tonight at 11.30.
54:52We run tomorrow at 11 o'clock.
54:55The TV6 News is up next, so stay with us.
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