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02:19And that's a champion shot.
02:47Out! Oh, it's a wonderful catch.
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02:53And he's on track for the record record for the...
02:55Welcome to Beyond the Tape. I'm your host, Mark Basant.
03:10Welcome to our viewers across Trinidad and Tobago.
03:14Our global viewers and our brothers and sisters in the Isles of Grenada.
03:19We smack in the middle of the week.
03:21And guess what? It's Legally Speaking Wednesdays.
03:24And with us today is Acting Sergeant Zaheer Ali of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service.
03:29And attorney at law.
03:30Welcome, sir. How have you been?
03:31Thank you very much, Mark, for your, as usual, warm welcome to the platform of TV6 Beyond the Tape.
03:38It's indeed a pleasure and honor to be here, as always.
03:41And, you know, that will be evidence of my delivery and my partnership with you, you know, on a Wednesday evening.
03:48Good evening to Jackie and, you know, our members of the Beyond the Tape family who are, you know, in the background.
03:54The general TV6 family, my colleagues in the various law enforcement agencies, and most importantly, Mark, the important institution that I speak on behalf of every time I come on this platform.
04:10Our beloved citizenry of Trinidad and Tobago, you know, always trying to advocate for them, always trying to promote their interests and, you know, any process also trying to share some advice, some direction, some guidance to ensure that, you know, that we continue to enjoy a good life.
04:25And there's safety, security and prosperity.
04:27So, again, it's a pleasure to be here this afternoon.
04:30Certainly, and I'm going to bowl you a bunch of right off the first ball of the over.
04:35And we've had a lot of talk over the last two to three days about the stand-your-ground legislation and, you know, the right for owner of a property to own a firearm.
04:47And, of course, it has generated a lot of conversation before elections, of course, and now after elections, the government indicating that they're keeping their promise to enact that kind of legislation.
05:02However, there are persons in various quarters calling for a little more, you know, a little more conversation with the public.
05:09And from where you stand, from a legal perspective, and I know a lot of people who are going to be listening are going to be extremely interested to find out, from a legal perspective, you know, how you view this legislation and, in turn, of course, you know, what you expect, you know, citizenry, the citizenry, rather, to gain from this and to be able to better understand this law when it is introduced in Parliament.
05:36Well, Mark, apart from being a very piercing question on the part of your good self, this is your stand-your-ground legislation continues to occupy basically every domain, and especially, you know, over the last couple of days.
05:56You know, it's no secret that it's a sensitive position.
06:01It's a unique position.
06:02But I want to begin by, you know, acknowledging the Honourable Prime Minister and the government-slash-state's position with the level of determination that they have shown to be able to protect the citizenry of Trinidad and Tobago.
06:19And, you know, it is no secret that home invasion, you know, continues to be a worrying and a nagging issue in Trinidad and Tobago.
06:30And, you know, when I look at this particular matter, you know, I look at it in a context where, and let's just go back to when we had the COVID situation.
06:38The rule of law was used to protect persons who would have been infected in relation to those who are not infected.
06:48So if you are seeing the power of the rule of law, and clearly the state, the government has demonstrated that they intend to use the rule of law to be able to protect homeowners.
07:00So immediately, I want to acknowledge and salute that determination to give the citizenry of Trinidad and Tobago the best option or the best opportunity.
07:08But like anything else, Mark, we have to ensure that we strike a proper balance.
07:14And the balance that, you know, I'd like to see is that in this Tanyagrong legislation, I would like to see expressed and mandatory provisions for the Director of Public Prosecution's Office to be invoked when this Tanyagrong legislation is invoked by the homeowners.
07:33And the reason why I'm saying that, you want to ensure that the full efficacy of that law is achieved, but at the same time ensuring that the rights are properly balanced by having an independent office adjudicating those matters.
07:48And importantly here, Mark, when you have the DPP invoked in a situation like this, the DPP will have the option, if need be, to trigger an inquest in circumstances where this Tanyagrong legislation is invoked in a particular state of affairs.
08:03So that's the first point that I want to make in relation to the question that you asked.
08:06I think it's an interesting move by the government, by the state, to give the citizenry an option to protect the citizenry in light of what we are seeing.
08:18But at the same time, we must be striking a balance where the legislation invokes offices like the DPP so that you will have opportunity to trigger inquests should the need arise to ensure that there's a balance of rights.
08:30And we really feel and achieve the full efficacy of this particular law.
08:35Now, this is a critical piece of legislation, something that is very new to Trinidad and Tobago.
08:41You know, we have purposes that have applied for a few as, you know, businessmen and so on, and property owners.
08:49And of course, there's a process and some are selected and some are not.
08:53And I remember the Jamaica Gleaner last week wrote an editorial asking that the government of Trinidad and Tobago look carefully at this legislation
09:03before going forward in their movements, of course.
09:07And I know we live in a society where home invasions has become something rather critical and of major concern here in Trinidad and Tobago.
09:18And we want to weigh that, of course, with the societal acceptance of this law, you know,
09:26because when we look at countries like the United States of America, where there are various gun laws in various states that would vary.
09:34There have been, the flip side to that is that there have been numerous shootings that have taken place over years in America.
09:43Yes.
09:43Where persons with legitimate firearms, you know, tripped off for some psychological or other reason, mental or otherwise,
09:52and would have gone on a rampage.
09:53And of course, we don't want things like that to ever occur in Trinidad and Tobago.
09:57So I suppose, looking at the legislation, who is given that opportunity or that chance to secure a firearm,
10:10just a plain old homeowner, but I'm sure there would have to be some tier-level system in how you assess these persons.
10:18Well, Mark, again, another important component in relation to the Stony Ground legislation,
10:21and I want us to, in my respect for view, while we're speaking Stony Ground legislation,
10:26and we are looking at any context of firearms, that's another issue.
10:30Because in the Stony Ground legislation, we could be looking at weapons of different, for example,
10:35whatever you may have in your house.
10:37If you are affording a firearm, legally, you may have the option of using firearms.
10:42But, however, to answer that issue, what I would like to see as well is that,
10:47if we are going in the realm of a Stony Ground legislation, in addition to having or trying to ensure
10:53there's effective public consultation, bearing in mind that we're also facing a serious threat with home invasion
10:59and we need to be moving expeditiously, what you will want is to ensure that the Stony Ground legislation,
11:04there's proper awareness and sensitization.
11:07So these general citizenry have an understanding as to how that particular law works,
11:12how it should be applied in a given situation, and that awareness should continue
11:17so that the citizenry becomes in a place in a better position if and when they have to invoke that Stony Ground legislation.
11:25But, you know, to close in on this point in relation to that Stony Ground,
11:30I want to also pitch to the legislators, Mark, that we should be thinking about a victim-centered approach.
11:35So while we may be thinking about giving the Stony Ground legislation to be able to use force in a particular situation,
11:43I want to also bring to the legislators the appreciation that when there's a home invasion,
11:51the impact on the dignity of the human being, for example, physically, mentally, and otherwise,
11:56it's important to ensure that a victim-centered approach is also triggered to ensure that we have counseling,
12:03we have medical intervention and other appropriate care that a homeowner and his or her dependents will require in a given situation.
12:12So, you know, let us not look at this as the opportunity to use force to defend ourselves,
12:16but let us look at after the force is used, that persons are still in a stage of worry,
12:23whether it be mentally or there may be a situation where there may be bodily harm.
12:26So, you know, I'm calling strongly that for a victim-centered approach to ensure we're looking at the use of force issue,
12:32but we're also looking at the counseling, the medical intervention that may be required in a given situation,
12:38bearing in mind the dignity of the human being is heavily and negatively impacted
12:43based on the feedback that we have received from persons who would have been victims of home invasion.
12:47So we expect to see a balanced approach reference to this particular matter,
12:52but again, it's a very sensitive matter,
12:55and, you know, I will urge the citizenry to be very circumspect,
13:00to be very responsible in how they approach the discussion to ensure that Trinidad and Tobago
13:05really benefits from a legislation of this nature.
13:09And certainly, we really don't want to end up in a position where we have trigger-happy persons with legitimate firearms.
13:15Well, Mark, just quickly, on that issue of firearms,
13:17you know, it's also public knowledge that the Honorable Prime Minister and the government
13:22have also identified that they're going to be looking at the issue of firearms
13:27and the process of obtaining firearms,
13:30and I suspect that it will be a process that's going to be designed to ensure that the persons who are,
13:39how I should say this,
13:42based on when the law comes into play,
13:43persons who are satisfying the law,
13:46not only from a physical context,
13:48but as you rightly indicated,
13:49things of a mental context,
13:51so that you may have, like, psychological tests,
13:54you know, you may have continuous training,
13:56continuous assessment,
13:57so that's going to be a rigorous process.
13:59I will recommend that it's a rigorous process as well
14:02to ensure that we are giving persons firearms
14:04who are responsible to be able to enjoy
14:07and work in tandem with the San Diego legislation.
14:10All right.
14:11We're going to take a look now at our headlines.
14:14We're going to take a look now at our headlines.
14:41So those are some of the headlines within the last 24 hours,
14:51and of course, you know,
14:53this morning, you know,
14:54there was a homicide in the Gasparilo area,
14:58or sometime last night,
15:00involving a Reniko Khan,
15:03shot and killed when armless aliens came into his house,
15:07in, I believe it's Bryan Avenue in Lumsden Street in Gasparilo,
15:13and his cousin was lying on the bed next to him.
15:17Akim Alexander spoke to Dexter Phillip from The Express
15:22and described his experience.
15:24Let's take a look.
15:24I was sleeping,
15:26and I feel like somebody watching now.
15:33I just like them on my bed.
15:35But my cousin,
15:36he fell at that,
15:37he didn't sleep on the bed.
15:38But he said,
15:39I want to sleep on the bed now.
15:41So I was saying,
15:42you know,
15:42you have one part.
15:44So,
15:45I feel like somebody watching now.
15:49So I get frightened,
15:57and I like,
15:58care of someone's person,
15:59just gone in the next room,
16:01in the mom room,
16:02and tell you,
16:03be quiet,
16:04don't make her sleep,
16:06and come back,
16:08and then gone over me,
16:10and shoot them in.
16:12And while he shoot them,
16:13he back them all for me.
16:16Well,
16:16he just pushed it open,
16:17and jumped in the car,
16:21skater with it.
16:22Mask.
16:23There you are sleeping.
16:25Dinosaur.
16:26How many shots?
16:2714.
16:29He worked in the borough,
16:32and he always said,
16:32MV, MV,
16:33and getting there.
16:34And I don't know.
16:38I don't know if that cost him like.
16:39Anybody know when you cook and know he's a serious son,
16:42in terms that he don't really play.
16:45But he's a serious guy.
16:46He's a great guy.
16:47He's a normal.
16:48He's a good guy.
16:49He's a good guy.
16:49He's a good guy.
16:51When you cook and,
16:52as his cousin indicated,
16:55he's a serious guy.
16:56He doesn't play.
16:57And I just got some information.
16:59Of course,
17:00we will have to double check and verify,
17:02but they were saying that
17:04he had several outstanding matters
17:07before the court.
17:10And questions have been raised.
17:11There were so many matters
17:13that he had before the court
17:15and for various things,
17:17from possession of firearms and so on,
17:18and how he could have been actually out.
17:21Well,
17:23Mark,
17:23just to,
17:24you know,
17:25act on that information
17:26that you presented
17:27in terms of,
17:28you know,
17:28him fitting a description
17:29based on the information
17:30that you provide
17:30as a repeated offender.
17:32You know,
17:32it is also considered
17:35when you are looking
17:36at applications of bail,
17:38whether bail should be granted
17:40to a person.
17:41And if that person's risk is high
17:43in being,
17:44you know,
17:45on the outside,
17:46sometimes that is a limit
17:47which does not deny bail
17:49because of the risk associated
17:50with that individual
17:51or even the risk
17:52that that associates,
17:53that person can bring
17:54to a community.
17:55And in this case,
17:56the person who has been interviewed,
17:57you can see the impact
17:58on that particular home.
17:59So when you see things like this,
18:01it's very interesting to see
18:03or, you know,
18:04to ask,
18:05you know,
18:05the circumstances
18:06as to why this individual
18:07must be,
18:08you know,
18:08on the outside
18:09based on your information
18:11with so many criminal charges.
18:13But again,
18:13the investigation
18:14will be able to determine
18:15exactly the circumstances
18:18surrounding this matter.
18:19But I'm happy
18:22that you brought that to the fold
18:23because it's important
18:24for, you know,
18:25every institution
18:26and in this case,
18:27the judiciary
18:27to have an appreciation
18:28as to when persons
18:30are coming continuously
18:31before the court,
18:32why that person
18:33may have a right
18:33to reasonable bail.
18:35It has to be
18:35a careful consideration
18:37of that application
18:37to ensure
18:38that we are not
18:39releasing someone
18:40who could be harmed
18:42but also bring risk
18:44to our home
18:45or community
18:45as the case may be
18:46because of their propensity
18:48for violence.
18:49Yes.
18:50All right.
18:50Thanks a lot.
18:51We're going to take
18:52a short break
18:52and we'll be back
18:53after this.
18:54Stay with us.
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20:35Welcome back
20:35to Beyond the Tape.
20:36I'm your host,
20:36Mark Bussan,
20:37joined today
20:37by acting sergeant
20:38Zakir Ali
20:39of the Trinidad
20:39and Tobago Police Service
20:41and attorney at law.
20:42It's legally speaking
20:43Wednesdays.
20:45And of course,
20:46the next video
20:46we are about to show you
20:48is how bold
20:50can a shoplifter get.
20:53This was captured
20:54in a pharmacy
20:55in the Arima area
20:58a couple days ago
20:59a couple days ago
20:59a time stamp
21:00Saturday.
21:01Look at this man's
21:03behavior.
21:05He comes into play
21:06in the white t-shirt.
21:08Walking on the eyes
21:09very casually
21:10you know,
21:11walking around
21:12taking a look-see
21:13and then
21:15he stops here.
21:16This is an area
21:16where they actually
21:17have you know
21:18tan spray
21:21for you know
21:22when you're going
21:22out in the sun
21:23and so on.
21:24And you're seeing
21:24there
21:25casually placing them
21:27in his underpants
21:28looking around
21:30a little bit
21:30and then walking
21:32casually
21:33putting other things
21:35in his pocket.
21:36I don't think
21:37if you have that
21:38intention to pay
21:39you would stuff
21:40things in your pocket
21:41and have them concealed
21:42Sergeant Ali.
21:45Well Mark,
21:45you know
21:45legally speaking
21:47when I look at this video
21:49before you finish
21:50the gentleman
21:52walks to the front
21:53here where there's
21:54cash here
21:54purportedly
21:56put something else
21:57in his left pocket
21:58he walks up
21:59to the cash
22:00with maybe a couple
22:01of dollars
22:01in his right hand
22:02ask about something
22:03you're seeing his face
22:05alright
22:06doesn't seem to have it
22:08and walks out
22:09the establishment
22:10with his pockets
22:12filled of stuff
22:13that he allegedly
22:14stole
22:15without paying for.
22:17Well Mark
22:18I'm happy that you
22:18stopped me
22:19because I was about
22:19to say you know
22:20I wanted to see
22:20the entire video
22:21but you know
22:22based on what I'm
22:22seeing on the
22:23development
22:23where he's heading
22:24to the door
22:25you know
22:25I'm seeing clearly
22:26the elements of larceny
22:27and you know
22:28larceny
22:29and when we speak
22:30in larceny
22:30the element
22:32that I want to bring
22:32out is the dishonesty
22:33the dishonesty
22:35and I'm wondering
22:36why this individual
22:37couldn't just ask
22:38the person
22:39to say
22:39listen
22:40maybe I'm in a
22:41you know
22:41a little bit of jam
22:42you know
22:43I normally shop
22:44at this institution
22:45can you afford me
22:46you know
22:47a little bit of credit
22:48you know
22:49and I'll come back
22:49next week
22:50you know
22:50I don't know
22:51why we have to be
22:52taking the opportunity
22:52to be dishonest
22:53and you know
22:54it's on public television
22:55I'm sure everyone
22:57has seen this individual
22:58and we hope
22:58that they come out
22:59somebody with information
23:01because apparently
23:02the owner of that pharmacy
23:03has indicated to police
23:05that there have been
23:05several shoplifters
23:07over a period of time
23:09in that establishment
23:10in the Arima area
23:12well it's unfortunate
23:13Mark
23:13you know
23:14when you have
23:14commercial activities
23:16and businesses
23:16businesses normally
23:17offer what
23:18a service
23:18they offer service
23:20to the community
23:20to ensure that the community
23:22you know
23:22lives a good life
23:23things are accessible
23:25and so forth
23:25and when you have
23:26persons like this
23:27behaving like this
23:27it puts the business owner
23:29you know
23:30in a state where
23:31should I continue
23:31to do business
23:32you know
23:33or
23:34it may be a situation
23:35where the pharmacy
23:37now have to
23:38upscale security
23:39look at scanner
23:40you know
23:40and it actually
23:41attracts a cost
23:42in relation to those matters
23:43so
23:44very unfortunate situation
23:45but anyone with information
23:47with reference
23:47to that individual
23:48please provide it
23:50so that we can
23:50you know
23:51bring that person
23:52to justice
23:53as soon as
23:54reasonably practicable
23:55and you know
23:56ensure that
23:57persons who may be
23:58looking on
23:59desist
24:00from you know
24:01carrying themselves
24:02in that particular manner
24:03which is totally unacceptable
24:04he's certainly going to
24:05desist when he gets
24:07held of course
24:08we are hopeful
24:08alright
24:09we're going to
24:10take our first
24:11caller
24:12caller
24:12good evening
24:13I've just said
24:14good evening
24:15to eminent young men
24:16good evening to you sir
24:17good evening sir
24:18Ms. Charlie
24:19I want to address this
24:20to you
24:20I know you could
24:20help me with it
24:21with respect to
24:23the standard ground
24:24clause
24:24a couple years ago
24:27my document
24:29was signed
24:29by Mr. Kenny
24:30I think you're familiar
24:33with that name
24:33and a few years after
24:37we were called
24:37on to forensics
24:38to do a testing
24:40so that they would
24:42have
24:42recall ballistic
24:43information
24:44on us
24:45I would like
24:48somehow
24:49in this
24:50new
24:51venture
24:52that that be
24:55reintroduced
24:56so that in the
24:58event of an
24:59incident
25:00the person can
25:02recover his
25:03equipment
25:04within a certain
25:05day
25:05we are much
25:06shorter period
25:07because he was here
25:09some people would have
25:10waited months
25:11but even going to
25:13years
25:13to get back
25:14because the
25:15criminals know
25:16exactly
25:17what the law
25:18is
25:18so I would have
25:19taken an action
25:20in January
25:21so they could
25:23afford to hit me
25:24again
25:24in February
25:26March
25:27April
25:27even to August
25:28so I would like
25:30to see
25:30in this new
25:31dispensation
25:33respect to
25:34San Yagong
25:35laws
25:36or
25:36whatever you want
25:38to call it
25:38now they put this
25:40system
25:41in print
25:42so in a matter
25:43of a few days
25:44we can be giving
25:45back our equipment
25:46I would listen
25:47up here
25:47thank you
25:48thank you very much
25:49Kola
25:50Mark very important
25:52point
25:52yes
25:53and I'm aware
25:54I'm aware
25:54I don't know
25:55whether it's a
25:56consistent application
25:57of it but I'm aware
25:58that when
25:59fire and user
26:01licenses are granted
26:02and the commissioner
26:04issues the
26:05approval
26:06in the approval
26:07letter
26:07that is one of the
26:08instructions
26:09that is one of the
26:10directions
26:11for your
26:12firearm
26:13that you have
26:13purchased
26:14to take it
26:15to the forensic
26:15science center
26:16to ensure that
26:16the gun is fired
26:18so that the
26:18ballistics is obtained
26:19so again
26:20excellent
26:21excellent point
26:22Kola
26:22and I understand
26:23why you are
26:24making that point
26:25in an attempt
26:26to ensure that
26:27if in fact
26:28when that firearm
26:29is used
26:29that there will be
26:31no issue
26:31of whether in fact
26:32the ballistics
26:33is available
26:33to be able to
26:34assist in the
26:35investigation
26:35so excellent point
26:37and Mark
26:37this is where
26:38when the honorable
26:38prime minister
26:39would have spoken
26:39about looking at
26:40the process
26:41for obtaining
26:42a firearm
26:42this is where
26:43it needs to be
26:43a rigid review
26:44as to what
26:45currently exists
26:46and to see
26:47what we need
26:47to ensure
26:48that the
26:49right of the
26:51firearm user's
26:52license
26:53the only
26:54owner of the
26:54sorry
26:54the license
26:55owner
26:56is you know
26:58at all material
26:58times
26:59being able to
27:00enjoy that firearm
27:01and the use of that
27:02firearm for his
27:03protection
27:03and his family's
27:04protection
27:04so excellent point
27:06and that's the level
27:07of thinking
27:07that we require
27:08and just as we
27:09are speaking
27:09and contributing
27:10to the standing
27:11ground legislation
27:11you know
27:12I will
27:12you know
27:13humbly suggest
27:14to members
27:14of the public
27:15using your freedom
27:16of expression
27:16you know
27:17legally and lawfully
27:18to be able to
27:19offer solutions
27:21offer recommendations
27:22as to how this
27:23home firearm
27:24regime
27:25you know
27:26should be looked at
27:27so that the legislators
27:28you know
27:29could know at that
27:29early stage
27:30how this law
27:30should be couched
27:31or how the law
27:32should be amended
27:32as the case may be
27:33to ensure that
27:34the fuel holder
27:35um enjoys
27:37you know
27:37that right
27:38to bear that firearm
27:39all right
27:40thanks a lot
27:41sergeant ali
27:41we have another
27:42caller on the line
27:43caller
27:43good evening
27:44good afternoon
27:46mr basant
27:48and to the
27:49ttp officer
27:50sergeant ali
27:51good evening sir
27:52i'm gonna
27:53bowl you
27:54a wazim
27:55acram delivery
27:56and it has
27:58to do with
27:59the new vehicles
28:02that the ttps
28:03has gotten
28:04and i'm interested
28:07to know
28:07if there
28:08are
28:09cameras
28:11dashboard cameras
28:13and gps
28:16now why
28:17am
28:17my expectation
28:19is for those vehicles
28:20to basically
28:22have that
28:22that is one
28:23of the tools
28:24that could lend
28:25itself to
28:26improving
28:27both the detection
28:28rate
28:28and the confidence
28:31level
28:31because you know
28:32that is at
28:32an all-time low
28:33and the ttps
28:34has to address it
28:35and i think
28:36that is an essential
28:37tool
28:38if outfitted
28:39properly
28:40we as citizens
28:43could be confident
28:44that where the police
28:46say they are using
28:47it to do
28:48they are actually
28:49using it
28:49too many times
28:52i've seen
28:52vehicles
28:53not where
28:55they are supposed
28:56to do
28:56and i'm
28:57putting that
28:58in quotes
28:58my second question
29:00is
29:01investigation
29:02and the outcome
29:04of investigation
29:05i've seen
29:06recently
29:07where
29:07the police
29:09commissioner
29:09said okay
29:10for a disciplinary
29:12matter
29:13with respect to
29:14police officers
29:14takes 30 days
29:16and if it's not
29:18completed
29:18give me another
29:1960 days
29:21i am putting it
29:22directly to you
29:23in september
29:252023
29:26there was an
29:28investigation
29:28started
29:30by the former
29:32commissioner of
29:33police
29:34on the
29:34adoption
29:34of
29:35ben thomas
29:36that is
29:37more than
29:37two years
29:37now
29:38has that
29:39investigation
29:40been
29:41finalized
29:42based on
29:43the utterances
29:43of the current
29:45acting
29:46commission of
29:46police
29:47go ahead and
29:48have a nice
29:48evening
29:49kola thanks a
29:50lot for your
29:51questions and
29:52sergeant ali
29:54will respond
29:54after this
29:55break
29:56stay with us
29:56fan
30:25go
30:26go
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31:28Welcome back to Beyond the Tape. I'm your host Mark Bassan.
31:56I'm joined today by Acting Sergeant Zaheer Ali of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service and Attorney at Law.
32:02So I know you have to respond to the caller.
32:04Caller, thank you very much for your two issues.
32:09The first one, Mark, in reference to the police vehicle,
32:13the persons who would have inspected those vehicles would be in the best position to determine whether in fact those vehicles are outfitted.
32:19Yes.
32:20With the items that the caller spoke about.
32:24But, you know, I foresee and I anticipate that those vehicles will be outfitted with the equipment that you have spoken about and very important.
32:34But, Mark, before I go to the second issue, I think it's important.
32:36It would be remiss of me if I don't make mention in relation to the vehicles.
32:40What was very, very, very revealing to me,
32:43and, you know, I want to acknowledge the Acting Commissioner and the Executive of the Police Service in terms of the procurement of the vehicles
32:49and, you know, the comments and statements with reference to the vehicles to be able to serve the public interest.
32:56But there was something very important that stood out to me.
32:59And the Honorable Minister of Homeland Security was very firm when he said that he wants police officers to be all over Trinidad and Tobago.
33:09And the key is that he said, and I quote, he called for the enforcement of the laws of Trinidad and Tobago.
33:18And I think that's significant.
33:19And I want to be able to put some shining light on that area.
33:22And the reason why I'm saying that is that we salute and we welcome the procurement of the vehicles.
33:27But the message for enforcement, the vehicles cannot enforce the law.
33:33It always has the, or should have the human touch, the human intervention.
33:37So I'm happy that both the Police Commissioner and the Minister of Homeland Security emphasize the importance of using the vehicle to enforce the law in Trinidad and Tobago.
33:47And I have continuously said on this platform that the implementation, and in this case the enforcement,
33:53is the critical areas that, you know, we need to look at in Trinidad and Tobago.
33:56So you could have some excellent policy.
33:59But if the implementation, or you could have some excellent law on the law book, case in point,
34:04we have some sophisticated laws in terms of the Proceeds of Crime Act, the anti-gang legislation, the Anti-Terrorism Act.
34:10Just to quote a few, the question is, how deeply are we enforcing those legislation to be able to treat with the crime situation in Trinidad and Tobago?
34:17We are hearing that there's a gang problem.
34:19How effective is the anti-gang tool being implemented?
34:21So, you know, I just want to echo that sentiment to the Honorable, to the citizenry of Trinidad and Tobago,
34:28but more importantly, to the law enforcement agencies.
34:31The statement from the Honorable Minister of Homeland Security enforced the law.
34:36And the second issue, Mark, in reference to the, whether it be the criminal investigation,
34:40or I think the disciplinary matters involving the abduction of Brent Thomas,
34:44I think that the Police Commissioner and Executive will be best positioned, you know, to give a response in relation to that.
34:49But Kola, thank you very much, as always, for your submissions and also the previous Kola's.
34:54Yes, certainly.
34:55All right, your favorite section of the Beyond the Tip.
35:00Voice of the people, we go back to Arima.
35:02Let's go.
35:03All right, let's go.
35:33What do you think is the root cause of the high crime rate in this country?
35:53What I see is a lot of delinquents, the fellows that want to come out and look for work,
36:04and they want everything easier, and any time they get an opportunity,
36:07you can remember crime is an opportunity thing.
36:09Any time they get a little opportunity to do a crime, that is what is going on.
36:13So you'd say that some people are naturally bad, or is it because of their upbringing and the environment that they are in,
36:19that they commit crime?
36:21Yeah, well, most of the time it is the environment.
36:24It is the people that they associate with, because, you know, it's all hard to come out.
36:28People who like crime, they live for crime,
36:31and any time they get a little one to pull in and get to do things for them, that is it?
36:35All right?
36:36So should we blame the person for the crime committing, or the society for that?
36:42You can't blame society, and I think it would be wrong to blame the person also,
36:50because some of these users just get pulled in in the wrong place, wrong time, and with the wrong crowd.
36:56Right?
36:57Society don't create criminals.
36:59Right?
37:00People's mind create that, you understand?
37:03You just have a mind to do bad, and that's it.
37:06I don't mind what society, but what good society put them in?
37:09A criminal mind will always be a criminal mind.
37:12You always do something like that.
37:13At what age persons should be fully responsible for their actions,
37:18and what is the youngest age that a criminal should be punished as an adult?
37:25I say a person should be responsible for their actions from age 13 up to date.
37:30Right?
37:30But they have a sense.
37:31They know what it's wrong, and they know what it's right.
37:34Right?
37:34And do the right thing.
37:36And as for punishing them, as long as you are crying,
37:40you are supposed to face the punishment, yeah?
37:42They say, if you don't want to do the time, go do the crime.
37:46How do you feel about drunk driving?
37:50Man, people shouldn't be driving drunk, man.
37:52And what would you think is a proper punishment for someone found to be driving under the influence?
37:57You know, a person who's driving drunk.
37:59You don't drink and drive.
38:00Well, these are easy drinking because they're suffering with what they call arthritis scouts.
38:05You can't drink no longer, all of that stuff.
38:07Right.
38:08All you watching, you drink some of them on a state now.
38:10Right?
38:11But people should, they don't watch your content.
38:13You can drink it, no drive.
38:15And what do you, and what do you, and what would you think is a proper punishment for
38:19someone found to be driving under the influence?
38:21You know, a person who will drive in drunk.
38:26You can kill people on the road.
38:29Yeah.
38:30So, the punishment should be harsh for driving.
38:33A lot of athletes I know they have.
38:35They're going to be taking away a license for driving drunk now.
38:38Right?
38:39But I think a person who is consistent in driving and drinking and driving and driving drunk,
38:43shouldn't be driving.
38:45How can we reduce crime?
38:47Harsher penalties or better education?
38:50Good.
38:51Can we educate people about crime?
38:54I don't think we just have enough of that.
38:56Right?
38:57And the penalty must match the crime.
38:59If people get in their way too easy with the crime, or what things are they doing,
39:03they will continue doing it.
39:04And we see that it's happening every day.
39:06Right?
39:07People get in their way with it.
39:08So, yeah, let's clap on the wrist or something, and they ride back into it again.
39:13Thank you so much.
39:16Voice of the people.
39:21Arima.
39:22Well, Mark, again, very, very interesting response from a member of the public.
39:29And, you know, in this particular interview, the area with the driving under the influence mark,
39:36that's another area that it's topical as we speak with reference to the Mary Point system
39:42and the statements regarding or directed to that Mary Point system.
39:47Perhaps, you know, God's willing or God's spare life.
39:50Next week, you know, I'll deal with us, you know, frontal as well in relation to some comments in relation to that particular area.
39:58But, as always, you know, the citizenry of Trinidad and Tobago making their contribution, it's important.
40:04You know, we need to listen to those individuals.
40:07We need to have an understanding as to what is happening in their particular area.
40:11So, I always welcome, you know, the contribution of members of the public.
40:14Again, excellent, excellent position on the part of that member of the public.
40:19All right.
40:20We're going to take a short break, and when we get back, we'll take some of your calls.
40:24Stay with us.
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43:09Welcome back to Beyond the Tape.
43:10I'm your host, Mark Bassan.
43:12Joined today by acting Sergeant Zaheer Ali of the Trinidad and Tomega police service.
43:17And of course attorney at law.
43:19We have another call on the line.
43:20Caller, good evening.
43:22Good evening.
43:23Good evening, Ma'am.
43:24Go ahead.
43:25Good evening to you.
43:26good evening officer officer and i like how you're always looking for balance and you know we really
43:32have to think about this standing ground thing because they're coming in your house both face
43:36roses and they're on a balance they're coming in they're coming with a team and then they have
43:40the vehicle waiting out there for you and also imagine you went in this manhouse 14 shots but
43:45what kind of fun are you there you look there to look at the air 15 we have to be you know thing
43:49the second point is concerning with the um the program that went on cartel and a lot of people
43:56spoke about you know when you look at the police officer or we keep demand and whatever whatever
44:01and that is why i was asking about details and sprays of police officers don't have things like
44:05that so that you know people would have been using something as because plenty people went against
44:10them for that and the second one the first point is the person who and the person who damaged the
44:18company's lighting system they saw that person so just as they saw the police and they had the
44:23things to any police officer they saw that person so that person should be really held and allowed
44:29to pay for the equipment market you have a birthday soon i think i heard on another on another area where
44:35somebody says something like that if so have a blessed birthday and be safe all of you including
44:41miss jackie bye thank you very much excellent caller well thank you very much um caller um for your three
44:47three issues uh mark again three very relevant issues in terms of the the equipment um that is
44:55required for the police officers and she make reference to the pepper spray and the taser to be able to
44:59deal with situation that may um require um the introduction of those um those equipment um and in
45:07relation to that first point again echoing a comment on the standard ground you know for those who may be
45:13joining in you know the position that we took this afternoon is that we welcome the use or i should
45:22say leaning on the side of the law to be able to treat with this worrying and nagging situation of home
45:27invasion we know that where the dignity of the human being is concerned where rights are impacted and that
45:34right to safety and security is very very um very sensitive you know to every citizen trinidad and tobago so
45:40the response of the state the response of the government must be welcome but at the same time
45:44what we are saying is that use the opportunity to ensure that it is well thought out and
45:50where we identified earlier to have offices like the director of public prosecutions
45:55brought in expressly in the legislation so if and when the legislation is impacted you have
46:01an independent eye looking into what transpired to ensure that you enjoy the full efficacy of the law
46:07and ensure that there's a proper balance and if need be ddpp has the option to order things like in
46:13quest and so forth yes so it's not to say that you are looking with the standard ground mark with a
46:17one-eye approach you are looking at it with a mature mind you're looking at with a responsible um
46:23and a responsible approach and you know i also um conjunct looking at this this standard ground as i said
46:31before importantly as a victim-centered approach because after you use the force they still have
46:37persons who are in the home their dependents who may be trouble whether it be mentally psychologically
46:45if they are issues where person may suffer bodily harm sexual assaults so the victim-centered approach
46:50should be one where after the force is used that there is sufficient state intervention to be able to
46:56get these persons out of that particular situation so a very important area and that gives us right and
47:02access to good health as well so hence why i'm calling for that victim-centered approach going beyond
47:08just the opportunity to use force to protect oneself and their home and looking at the dignity of the
47:14human being in these circumstances and as i said before consultation is always important but we must
47:20also appreciate at this stage that the home invasion continues and we need to move this expeditiously so
47:26you know members of the republic um you know feel free to use platforms like this this is part of
47:32the public consultation don't only wait for the the government or the law reform commission or the
47:37law association or the attorney general's office or the ministry of national security um homeland
47:42security and defense to come up with a paper from now start agitating the situation they are listening
47:48so let us use these platform and other platforms to start and ignite that public consultation on this matter
47:55all right we have another call online caller good evening
47:58a pleasant good afternoon to you mark present and mr ali good evening let me start by saying i would
48:07like to compliment the police officers who was on independence so let me tell you the reason why um
48:16i had a delivery was to do and you know there's no parking at all so i attempted to park in a place where
48:25at the corner opposite by our excellence and the officers came along and i explained to them well look
48:32i've been looking for a pack and have been unable to pack so they explained to me that the what the law um
48:40state and i was in violation of that act so i was able to remove so i would like to compliment them for
48:47explaining that i was in breach of the act but here is my problem we're in port of spain right now a delivery
48:58driver is able to pass his vehicle to deliver to the merchant to the to the um to our customers because
49:07the reason for it is that these wholesalers and retailers they purchase goods we have to bring the
49:14goods to them and when they bring the goods to them because the client comes pays all they understand and
49:20they will be able to pay us right now they're having problems in policy because first we have
49:26cones in the road they have all derelict baskets in the road and they have all these sort of things so
49:32delivery drivers is very very difficult you have to circle and circle and hope somebody
49:38that no listen to me i passed down tower hill right by the y i don't know if you know it and there you
49:48know just waiting in traffic i glance across to my left and they had a big sign in yellow with black
49:55handwriting said loading bay um uploading and on uploading and loading and it had a specific time period
50:06that they have to be there for i didn't manage the city time because the traffic started to move so i
50:12am asking why isn't that done in port of spain because a delivery vehicle would not be there for
50:18the whole day he comes he delivers his items let this document sign up and then leave so i'm i'm trying
50:25to understand how come they doesn't have a like loading specific loading be within the um the city of
50:32policy that delivery drivers could part of the zone deliver the good safety and then leave
50:42caller thanks a lot for your question and feedback and uh we'll respond after this short break stay with
50:48us
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53:33welcome back to be on the tape i'm your host mark missan joined today by acting sergeant zahir ali of
53:38the trinidad and tobago police service and attorney at law i know you want to quickly respond to the caller
53:43yes thank you caller um and thank you for your positive feedback in behalf of those police officers
53:48you haven't given their name um so um if you had given a name perhaps i'll probably pull the p mass
53:54you know write a pa3 for them you know and give them and put it in their um file to ensure that they
53:59progress but um again you have identified that the officers would have indicated to you
54:04the breach or the contravention i should say and that is one of the the right that a person has mark if
54:11you know just to bring this into the context legally speaking that if there's a contravention
54:15or there's an offense committed the person must know what is the offense so that you know they
54:20end up in a position um to either give a response or to exercise other right so thank you very much
54:24for that and with the fc with the um for the delivery vans that may be a situation where the ministry of
54:30works um the whole engineering of port of spain may have to be looked at in order to ensure that there's
54:35proper facility for persons like your good self and others um to be able to apply their trade effectively
54:41um in these circumstances all right so we were talking quickly about road safety and of course
54:47we continue to see accidents and the nation's highways and roadways and so on and there was
54:53an accident along the rivulet road i believe sometime last night you see a vehicle overturned there that's
55:02in the couvert area i understand oh no i'm not sure i'm sorry this is the wrong one but it's it's some
55:09we're not sure of the location of this but this is another example of of of you know uh what we
55:17have been trying to to educate the public about you know and when and this is a vehicle this accident
55:24occurred this afternoon along the diggo martin highway um and apparently uh based on a conversation
55:31i had with a police officer just a short while ago he sent me some information indicating that when the
55:37police arrived on the scene of this uh accident uh just after the kfc uh along the diggo martin highway
55:44they apparently the occupants were already conveyed to the hospital so they were not able but they made
55:50checks at the hospital but the injured persons have not been located as yet and um any further information
55:56of course uh the senior officer indicated to me they will really um but that vehicle seems to have been
56:04badly damaged and and persons i'm certain that would have been an advocate would have been injured in
56:09some measure well mark every time i see situations like this you know it's very unfortunate because
56:14this could be a situation where your family your friend even your good self you know impacted by the
56:18road traffic accidents that we have seen in trinidad and tobago but you know god's willing as i said next
56:22week um just like i'm dealing with the issue of the standard ground legislation and home invasion
56:27i intend to confront this issue as well in the public's interest to be able to offer maybe some
56:33solutions or some recommendations knowing that this area is being looked at very closely
56:38by the decision makers as well but mark in closing may be remiss of me i've you know enjoyed this
56:44platform with you over the last couple months and um you know i've heard through the the the members of
56:53the public and on monday and or choose i think it was and then a short while ago about caller you know
56:58i know that friday is a very important day for you you know it's a special day for you and i really
57:03want to take this opportunity you know in cricket terms because you you have been you know bowling
57:08bonkers to me the members of the public have been bowling yorkers and beamers and you know one said
57:13that ebola was a macram i don't know whether that bad ball was swinging away or it was coming back in
57:18but i think you need to raise your pen this afternoon i think that you know you have really
57:24um represented the media effectively and i think that you know that life that has been entrusted to
57:30you by the good lord i'm seeing that you are directing that um and channeling it for the best
57:35interest of trinidad and tobago so i want to take this opportunity on behalf of all of us in trinidad
57:39and tobago the 1.4 million people to say happy birthday to you and may god continue to bless you
57:44and your family as you move forward certainly and i i thank you you know of course and i'm still
57:48working on that day as well but uh no doubt i appreciate the the sentiments and uh we give
57:54you a shake on and publicly on behalf of the city of trinidad and tobago yes we appreciate that and of
57:59course we always appreciate your contribution as well as all the officers and all the other persons
58:04who are always on this show sharing with us all right so we run tonight at 11 30 another repeat
58:11tomorrow at 11 o'clock the tv6 news is up next and we'll be back here tomorrow at six o'clock stay with us
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