00:00Crime and security are once again at the forefront following renewed calls for tougher action
00:06against repeat offenders.
00:09On Saturday, Minister of Homeland Security Roger Alexander proposed a three-strikes policy
00:15while raising questions about how long individuals facing multiple criminal charges should continue
00:22to be granted bail.
00:23However, criminologist Dr Randy Siepersand tells the TB6 Morning Edition, the effectiveness
00:30of such an approach remains debatable, with international research producing mixed findings.
00:37There is even evidence pointing to unintended consequences of the three-strikes laws and
00:42one that really is glaring in the literature is that many researchers have actually found
00:50that the implementation of three-strikes laws actually relates to an increase rather than
00:58an increase in murders and against civilians as well as police officers.
01:03Dr Siepersand says, while increased resources for the police service are important, the
01:09wider crime-fighting infrastructure and agencies cannot be overlooked, like the Forensic Sciences
01:15Centre, which he says is a critical part of the investigative process.
01:19The last study I'm aware of was done way back in 2013, which is a long, long time ago with
01:26respect to forensic science capacity. I was one of the assessors in that particular study,
01:32but that's a long, long time ago. Those findings are now outdated. So what it calls for is more
01:40recent, sustained research, carefully identify the gaps so you're not guessing at the problem.
01:46And the killing of a tyranny at law and former police officer Taradat Singh has also raised questions
01:53about possible contract killings in Trinidad and Tobago. However, the criminologist cautions
01:59against drawing conclusions. He tells us contract killings are not the norm in TNT.
02:06Police investigators may get that evidence in some cases, but it's more than likely absolutely
02:13not the norm. In other words, it's far more the exception than the rule. So there's a danger
02:20first in creating that perception, you know, that it's something that is large scale. In fact,
02:25when we look at the murder statistics, there are other areas that really jump out at us that really
02:30strike us as in need of much more attention. For example, over the last few years, gang related
02:37killings have accounted for about 40% of our murders. Nicole M Romany, TV6 News.
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