Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar is defending the continued State of Emergency, saying that while murders are down significantly, the fight against crime continues.
Her comments come while speaking to reporters after Eid celebrations in Charlieville on Saturday.
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar is standing firm on Government’s decision to implement another State of Emergency, insisting that recent reductions in violent crime is encouraging, but the gains are not yet sufficient to justify easing security measures.
Speaking to the media after Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations in Charlieville on Saturday morning, she said Government remains committed to its crime-fighting strategy, which she noted has already produced measurable results.
“We continue in the fight against crime. We have several initiatives. Some have already borne fruit. We have seen crime at the lowest it has been in many, many years. The murders have been down by 42%. Let’s not forget that. And we’ll continue, we’ll continue, we’ll continue.”
Mrs. Persad-Bissessar acknowledged public criticism over the SOE, but said Government’s goal is a deeper and more sustainable reduction in crime.
“People are saying, why another SOE? Because only 42% down. We need to bring it down by the largest number. So 100 minus 40 is what? 58% more that we have to work to bring down. We continue to work on that. Safety and security remains very high on our priority.”
The Prime Minister also addressed the removal of the Radar in Tobago, confirming that Trinidad and Tobago continues to work closely with the United States on security matters.
“We continue to engage the U.S. authorities in many fields. Maybe on another day we can share some further initiatives. With respect to the radar, we were lucky to have it, at the time we had it. They need it for their own use. As you know, they’re on another front and they probably need it for that purpose. But it did serve us well and we thank them very much for it.”
Mrs. Persad-Bissessar was speaking to reporters after celebrating Eid with the Muslim community at the Markaz Al-ASJA Jamaat in Charlieville on Saturday morning.