00:00It was business as usual in downtown Port of Spain, as the state of emergency called on Friday morning comes without a curfew at this time and is being used to combat a crime syndicate which poses a security threat to senior officials and others.
00:15So, how are citizens feeling?
00:18Well, I listened to the news conference and I gave the commissioner of police the right of way. He has information I don't have. So I cannot condemn. We are just hoping for the best.
00:34I was kind of scared to a point, but I mean, I can't really do anything about it. We just had to be aware of our surroundings and stuff.
00:42Were you aware of it?
00:45No, I wasn't aware. Some are hearing about it right now. This is the same thing the government was talking about. The previous government wasn't doing nothing about it. And now they get a chance to do about it and the scene is the same thing going on so you can't really blame the government.
00:58Desiree Murray heard about the SOE through WhatsApp. She tells us she doesn't have any strong feelings about it, but it's quite the opposite when it comes to the safety and security of women. With the kidnapping and murder of 22-year-old Candice Honoré still fresh on her mind, she has a suggestion.
01:16Making self-defense more accessible to everybody. Even if we don't have to pay for it, I think the police or whoever can make that initiative.
01:26The SOE gives police the right to enter homes without search warrants. It's a contentious topic for some.
01:33I mean, you can't just come just like that and just enter people home without having a search warrant. You can't say, well, what are you coming to search for? So you must need a search warrant in order for you to search the house.
01:45The country already have a lot of crime, like a bit too much crime. I would hope that it would minimize it a bit, but I feel like it might be a bit of abuse of power because if somebody fall into the stereotype, they could look like a criminal and then the police just barge into the house.
02:02Definitely, I would encourage our people to support the government as they band together to eradicate whatever elements that there may be that are trying to encroach on our rights and our freedoms.
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