Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar says her government has other strategies to tackle crime following the defeat of the Zones of Special Operations Bill in the Senate on Tuesday evening.
The bill, which sought to give the Prime Minister the authority to declare crime-affected areas as Zones of Special Operations, failed to secure the required special majority and was defeated. The Zones of Special Operations was intended to replace the State of Emergency, which ends on January 31.
Speaking minutes after the vote, Mrs. Persad-Bissessar sharply criticised the Independent senators, saying their decision undermined the fight against crime and benefited criminal gangs. She repeated earlier criticisms of their role in Parliament and their influence over legislation brought by an elected government.
Despite the setback, the Prime Minister said the government is moving ahead with other crime-fighting plans, adding that both ongoing and new measures will soon be operationalised.