PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC -Police Commissioner Erla Harewood—Christopher Christopher Friday acknowledged increased murders recently but maintained that the enforcement authorities registered a slight decline in other criminal activities in Trinidad and Tobago.
Speaking at a news conference, Harewood-Christopher said that the murder detection rate stood at 11.7 percent as of September 2 and that 76 people had been charged with murder, with 69 murder cases being solved so far this year.
Trinidad and Tobago has recorded 431 murders this year, but the top cop said violent crimes had declined by 15 percent, from 3,549 to 3004. She said severe crimes had dropped by 10 percent, from 8,998 to 7,030, and wounding had decreased from 543 to 490.
“Trinidad and, unfortunately, Tobago, are experiencing an escalation specifically about homicides and home invasion,” she said, adding that before the escalation, the police had embarked upon an intensification of its activities to deal with the crime situation.
“Those initiatives proved effective in delivering the results we were targeting. Unfortunately, the criminal element does not stand still. They recognize our encroachment, and not unexpectedly. They quickly adjusted their modus operandi,” Harewood-Christopher said.
She said the police have increased surveillance and modified strategies to remain effective.
“This dynamic we expect will continue for a while,” she said, adding, “We maintain a high level of confidence in our operations.”
Harewood-Chrstopher, criticized during her early tenure as Police Commissioner for calling on the population to seek divine intervention in helping curb the crime situation, doubled down on her position Friday, telling reporters to “ do not discount the value of prayer.”
National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds, who was also present at the news conference, called to outline measures on combating the upsurge in murder and violent crime. It was said that the National Security Council met on Thursday and that the government is aware of the trauma being experienced by the population.
“Crime is a function of human behavior…and therefore the struggle, the fight against crime is an ongoing battle,” Hinds said, adding that the authorities would be securing an additional 2,500 cameras as part of the initiatives to deal with the situation.
Hinds said that this is in addition to the recently acquired 2 500 cameras, which complement the existing 1 749 cameras already in operation.
In the last 48 hours, Trinidad and Tobago has recorded at least 11 murders, including that of siblings Shenelle, 16, and Keston Singh, 21, in Princes Town in south central Trinidad, and Jamal Watts, who was gunned down while cutting grass at the St James Medical Centre in St. James, on the outskirts of the capital.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Operations Junior Benjamin told reporters on Thursday that seven of the ten police divisions have recorded their lowest murder toll in five years.
He said the recent murders had caused the police to “take a slight hit” but added that the data showed murders were on the rise in only three of their ten divisions.
“Even as we look back within five years, we’re seeing that Port of Spain Division would have more or less had an increase in terms of their murders. The only year they probably had an increase or a higher number was 2019 when they had 80. At this time, they have 70.
“We also saw an increase in Tobago, where there are 21 murders. It has been the highest that we’ve seen it within the last five years,” he said.
Police are also investigating a shooting in Icacos, the southwesternmost point in Trinidad, which left three men dead and three others wounded on Thursday.
Hinds told reporters, “The matter is being investigated, and a couple of Venezuelans, three of them I believe, shot in a separate incident, not far in time and distance from that scene…”
“So I know the trauma, the government knows the trauma you feel, and we all want a resolution to this,” he said, urging the public to cooperate with the law enforcement agencies as new measures are being rolled out to deal with the crime situation.
The authorities also announced that the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard is beefing up the number of ships in its portfolio to help combat crime.
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