What is the purpose of camouflage law?

Can any of the legal luminaries in Trinidad and Tobago explain the purpose of having a law that prevents citizens from wearing camouflage clothing in Trinidad and Tobago? Both the UK and USA are countries that have vast military histories, have both engaged in World Wars and have active military operations currently across the globe, yet their citizens are free to wear camouflage clothing, while in Trinidad and Tobago, a country whose regiment has never fought an external threat, citizens are prohibited from wearing camouflage clothing. Why?

I have heard that its to prevent criminals from impersonating a soldier. That has to be the most stupid justification I have ever heard. What does it matter whether criminals impersonate a soldier or not? Furthermore why would any criminal want to impersonate a soldier unless they're completely stupid as they would stand out? Soldiers have no authority to arrest or question civilians outside an SOE. Even if God forbid the current Defense Amendment Bill is passed the soldiers will still have to be accompanied by a police officer if they are to make an arrest. So why would any citizen who has at least 5% knowledge of what his rights are entertain interacting with any batch of soldiers outside an SOE? If I hear a knock on my door at 1 am and I look out the window and see a batch of soldiers and no police officers, it does not matter whether they are bandits dressed as soldiers or real soldiers, I am calling the police!! Furthermore how does preventing citizens from wearing camouflage prevent rogue soldiers from renting out their uniforms as occurs under the existing law? 

Many times soldiers wear a green or red t-shirt, I'm surprised they have not banned us from wearing those too, the law is that stupid! Please, would our legislators use some initiative and relegate that stupid camouflage law to the obsolete bin? I think it is totally embarrassing to be living in a country where a 10 month old baby can be denuded in our airport by customs officials for wearing a camouflage pants with a teddy bear on it. I mean what was this 10 month old baby to do, impersonate a soldier and go put down a robbery on a nestles van? It is interesting that this is the same Customs which allowed large sums of US currency to be brought into this country undetected by certain individuals in the international football arena, Customs please get your priorities in order! Legislators please let commonsense reign!

A successful unsuccessful State of Emergency

So just short three weeks of the end to this illegitimate state of emergency I have come to the conclusion that it is a successful unsuccessful state of emergency. First of all during the SOE and the imposition of a curfew murders and rapes continued. After the lifting of the curfew and rentention of the SOE, murders and rapes continued. Last week a claim was made that rapes are on the rise and about two days after the police service published a release saying that sexual offences are on the decline.

After the police and army dug up a bunch of old guns, the security forces along with representatives of the People's Partnership Government all patted themselves on the back and claimed victory in ridding this country of illegal guns and restricting criminal activity. They even had a big public event where they invited the UN to come to Trinidad to destroy guns, yet still three weeks shy of the end of this State of Emergency the country's security forces are on high alert because of death threats against the Prime Minister and curiously enough "only three" other government ministers who seem to have been 'specifically' hand picked for this criminal plot. The Prime Minister has stated that this plot is being commissioned by criminal elements who are angry over the 'success' of the State of Emergency.

I'm not sure I understand this current situation facing our country. If the State of Emergency was successful in stunting the free movement of criminals in this country, getting illegal guns off the streets and destroying criminal enterprises then how come these criminal elements still exist and more so how come they have the capacity and resources to plot an assasination on the Prime Minister if the State of Emergency was successful? If after almost three months of a State of Emergency we have criminal elements in this country that are so powerful that they have the resources to plan an assasination againts the Prime Minister and three top government officials then one can only conclude that this is a successful unsuccessful state of emergency. The question is where does that leave us as a nation?

Police's treatment of female citizen needs to be investigated

Last night (Monday) I saw a video clipping on TV6's U Report showing police officers arresting a young lady on Ariapita Avenue and if anything this video did was show the total lack of professionalism of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service, their abject ignorance and lack of commonsense. The video clearly showed the young lady claiming she did not refuse to take the breathelzyer test so why was she arrested? She did not use obscene language, was clearly not drunk and certainly did not pose a threat to the public. I therefore have a few questions for Police Commissioner Dwayne Gibbs.

1) Did these police officers read this young woman her rights?

2) Did they inform the young woman of the reason for detaining her?

3) Did the police have reason to believe that under this State of Emergency this young woman is a gang member or had criminal intent or posed a threat to the state?

4) Why did a male police officer attempt to roughly handle a female citizen despite the presence of a female officer?

5) Why did the male officer insist on attempting to roughly handle a female citizen despite her objections to him putting his hands on her?

6) Why is a female citizen wearing a skirt and high heels treated in such an inhumane and degrading manner by being made to 'cock up' in the back of a police vehicle?

7) Is the police so void of commonsense that they could not logically deduce that they should have put this young lady in the back seat of the police vehicle?

Only in an uncivilized third world country would a young lady be treated in such a disgraceful and degrading manner, even male suspects are placed in the interior of police vehicles in developed countries. Good luck in implementing your 21st century policing plan Commissioner Gibbs but from this video alone, I can tell that retraining these "thugs in blue uniform" is going to be a colossal challenge. I do not envy you.

Are T&T's Police Really Paid Well?

With a crime rate per capita higher than that of the United States, can it truly be said that Police Officers in Trinidad and Tobago are well paid? The Express has quoted Minister of National Security as saying that per month a married constable will receive $9,516 per month, a married sergeant $11,460 and a married inspector $12,324. In light of the high risks involved regarding the job of a police officer, especially with regard to the high crime rate of our country can one truly say our officers are paid well? Mr. Sandy was on TV6 morning show saying that one cannot put a price to police work or on an officer's life. He said that even if each officer was paid $100,000 it still does not equate to the value of their life. What I want to know is if that is the case does that justify our police officers being severely under paid?

How do our police officers pay look in comparison to the pay of officers in other countries where the crime rate per capita is not as high as ours? Well in the UK police officers salary are as follows : -

Constables

On commencing service - £23,259, TT annual equivalent $251,025, Monthly TT Equivalent $20,918!!!

Constables at Pay Point 5

£31,032, TT annual equivalent $334,916, TT monthly Equivalent $27,909

Constables at Pay Point 10

£36,519, TT annual equivalent $394,135, TT monthly Equivalent $32,844

Sargeant's Pay 1yr in Position

£37,767, TT annual equivalent $407,604, TT monthly equivalent $33,967

Sargeant's at Pay Point 4

£41,040, TT annual equivalent $442,928, TT monthly equivalent $36,910

Inspector Pay Point 1

£48,108 with a raise bracket to £50,163, TT annual equivalent $519,210, TT monthly equivalent $43,267

Inspector Pay Point 3

£50,751 with a raise bracket to £52,818, TT annual equivalent $547,735, TT monthly equivalent $45,644

In the United States the average base pay for a New York State Trooper is USD $5,938 per month, which is TT $38,219 per month. However with over time a 2009 US Bureau Consensus found that with overtime officers took home on average USD $96,890 per annum which works out to be USD $8000 per month and a TT equivalent of $51,492 per month. As of 2010 the aveage salary for all ranks was USD $112,537 per annum, TT $724,276 per annum which works out to be TT $60,356 per month. Front line troopers took home in 2010 on average USD $101,574, TT $653,720 per annum which works out to be TT $54,476 per month. As a group Supreme Court Judges and New York City Judges are the only public servants who made more money than New York Police Officers with an average of USD $14,000 per annum. The interesting thing to note however is New York City Police Officers are the 'second highest paid' officers in the United States as Police Officers in New Jersey are actually paid more than New York Officers. Dennis Hallion an Executive of the National Troopers Council when asked to comment on the USD 112,000 salary for officers said "not enough".

So with these figures in mind, I can't see how Mr. Sandy can boast about a local married constable being paid $9,516 to leave his family every day and put his life at risk for another man's family and expect that police officer to be motivated and enthusiastic about his job but let's be real the majority of police officers are constables, and even when one considers the salaries of our senior officers it can be clearly shown from the figures that constables in the UK and US are working for twice the salary than our local senior officers. I agree asking for a ridiculous increase for officers such as a 50% increase may not be feasible, but certainly a 5% increase by government is totally out of order.

Of Balance and Balansingh by Alvin Narine

We live in a Democratic society where as citizens we have freedom of choice governed by law. I take this to mean that should I decide I want to pursue a particular career, a particular calling I am free so to do within my capacity. In our society our peoples pursued many different careers as per their choice but dictated to some extent by the geography of the land where they lived. These career pursuits had nothing to do with ethnicity or religion in the main but parents had a great influence in the direction.

I am fortunate to have lived in this, my homeland, in various geographical areas at various times which stemmed from even our pre-Independence days, those Colonial days. My observations as recorded here have nothing to do with my politics or that of my parents. I saw in the country areas that the land was mainly agricultural and so cultivated by the residents for home use and in the canefields owned by themselves or the factory for eking out a living. This was menial and backbreaking work, seasonal and soothy. No right thinking parent wanted such a living for their sons. Sacrifices were made so that the eldest son would gain a profession, preferably a Lawyer or a Medical Doctor.

Following this the Professional’s obligation was to ensure his next brother is given the same opportunity. And so there were families with lawyers or doctors or a combination of both. Of course there were the situations where the son would return with a ‘white’ wife – the studies were usually in England. In these ‘country’ areas the population was mixed but the career drives were the same regardless of race.

My sojourn in the City made me become aware that the trend was different where jobs or careers were concerned. There was always the public service where one can become employed with job security but also where training was possible for future advancement. For those who failed to make the grade there was the Police Force where one can have promotions and be highly respected in one’s district. There was the power of authority. No matter the ethnicity, the residents of the City mainly comprised though of persons of African descent. The trend was the civil service, the police force or fire brigade. In those days there was no Army except for those who opted to join the RAF or British Army. I can recall a unit or station situated in Point A Pierre on the Hill crossing over to the oilfields and into San Fernando, there was no Highway in those days.

Having looked at this background one would conclude that there is a reason for the imbalance of ethnicity in those government jobs. The qualifications for entrance into the Police Force was stringent and persons of African descent because of the physical build filled the requirements easier. One fact must be understood. These were situations existing BEFORE Independence and while we were under the Colonial rule. Thus there was a continuation of this after Independence.

So now, do we seriously want a ‘balance‘of ethnicity when there is the consideration of free will and choice belonging to the Individual? Do we want a Panel to select an even number of ‘Indians’ and ‘Africans’? So what about Chinese or Syrians and to complicate it even more what about mixed? And what about those looking Indian but the genes say African and vice versa? How ridiculous can we get if we strive to go this way?

In our society there is equal opportunities laid out for all. On the question of government employment, that is left up to the citizens to respond. Employment will be based on examination results and if there is an Interview needed there would be a panel. But do we select the panel on ethnicity – six of one and half a dozen of the other? Do we ensure an equal percentage of passes for each race with a one or two percent for ‘other’.

This is getting really ridiculous the various computations needed etc. I am getting fed up. I must recall my stay in the Telephone Company there were a few Narines. My brother and myself looked as typical East Indians. There were two other brothers not related to us who were of obvious African descent. All of us carried ‘Christian’ names. All four of us were ‘mixed’! Well was there ‘balance’?

To my mind, no matter what is put in place there will always be protests and accusations, some bordering on the ridiculous. In employment we choose the best no matter the ethnicity. If there appears to be an imbalance, well some persons who applied were brighter than others. Did ethnicity have anything to do with that or was it parental training or tutorage? Next thing someone will appeal because he/she was tried by someone of East Indian ethnicity when he/she was of African ethnicity and was prejudiced. Then the police must pair off as African/Indian so if an Indian the Indian police will lay the charge and if African the African police will lay the charge.

I know the solution – For next year Carnival ah go write ah calypso on dat so we cud see how chupid we cud be wit dis ting. If is mas we want, well we go play mas’. ©

Please note that this was composed not by Lord Strange of T&T but by a very distinguished gentleman by the name of Alvin Narine. (All other posts without credits listed are the material of Lord Strange of T&T unless otherwise stated.)

Political Lip Service or Divided Government‏?

The People's Partnership Government through the Office of the Prime Minister sought to 'appear to' condemn the highly inflammatory and racially divisive remarks of Chairman of the Police Service Commission Mr. Nizam Mohammed, a condemnation that no doubt sought to act as a cooling agent to soothe the public out cry against Mr. Mohammed's unfortunate statements and 'insinuations' made in no other place than our country's highest office the Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago. The release from the Prime Minister's Office describes Mr. Mohammed's statements using some very strong adjectives and phrases such as "reckless, senseless, divisive and serving no purpose." The release continued to state that Mr. Mohammed's views "run against the very grain of the philosophy that now governs this country", presumably under the stewardship of Ms. Persad-Bissessar and the new People's Partnership Government and further stated that Mr. Mohammed must be held accountable for his inflammatory comments because the mission of the government is to embrace everyone.

Arguably the release from the Prime Minister's Office used all the right words to condemn Mr. Mohammed's inflammatory remarks yet that release fell short of informing the general public whether the Government which fiercely defended the appointment of the goodly gentleman in the first place, an appointment that was vehemently opposed to by the Opposition benches, whether they will now be seeking to revoke Mr. Mohammed's appointment as he has demonstrated to the entire nation his unsuitability for the position. This Government should not wait on the President to revoke Mr. Mohammed's appointment. It was this Government that insisted Mr. Mohammed be appointed to this position and therefore they should bear the responsiblity for Mr. Mohammed's reckless conduct and not put that burden on the President. The Government's statement without action is tantamount to a parent spending enormous amounts of energy severely berating a child for a transgression yet failing to discipline said child.

Further to that one would have thought that if the Government was to issue a strongly worded reprimand such as this and in light of the potentially destabilising effect of Mr. Mohammed's comments not only to the Police Service but to the country as a whole, that they would have held an emergency caucus to address the issue and come to some form of unanimity in condemning the comments. This however does not seem to be the case because apparently before the ink can dry on the Office of the Prime Minister's release, we have contrary claims being made by two Government Ministers in the form of Dr. Roodal Moonilal and Chandresh Sharma. In the case of Mr. Sharma, he has taken a most curious stance of blaming the media for the dilemma Mr. Mohammed finds himself, saying "There are times when every media in many parts of the world carry stories that are inaccurate or carry stories that did not at all times reflect the views of the presenter, so that we must at all times listen and not shoot the messenger".

Mr. Sharma's comments are certain to raise eyebrows as Mr. Mohammed's comments were broadcast live on national television via the Parliament Channel, therefore the entire country for the most part heard for themselves the offensive remarks of Mr. Mohammed. For instance can Mr. Sharma explain what Mr. Mohammed meant when he said 'we need protection'? Who is the 'WE' that Mr. Mohammed was referring to and protection from whom? And if Mr. Mohammed is indeed the messenger from where did the message originate? Who's message is he delivering? In addition if as Mr. Mohammed claims that the police service does not represent the ethnic composition of Trinidad and Tobago because there are 41% East Indians (Mr. Mohammed erroneously claimed 50%) and 39% Africans therefore the police service should not have so many Africans, can both Mr. Mohammed and Sharma explain why we have a caucasian Police Commissioner when that ethnic group is not more than 1% and the fact that the Commissioner is a foreigner to boot! In Mr. Mohammed's eyes does Commissioner Gibbs represent the ethnic composition of Trinidad and Tobago? Furthermore was Commissioner Gibbs promoted through the ranks based on meritocracy? Why was he chosen over an officer like say Stephen Williams? It should be noted that it was the Government and not the PSC that was instrumental in the appointment of Mr. Gibbs as Police Commissioner. Mr. Sharma's claim that we should not shoot the messenger is directly at odds with the Government's message via the release from the Prime Minister's Office that Mr. Mohammed's statements run against the very grain of this government. How can Mr. Mohammed be a 'viable messenger' and how can his message be 'worthy of recognition' while at the same time running against the philosophy of the Government of which Mr. Sharma is a member?

Dr. Roodal Moonilal has indicated that Mr. Mohammed's statements can spark a healthy debate, but the question is a healthy debate about what? What was valuable of Mr. Mohammed's claims of feeling intimidated because there were too many 'Africans' in top positions of the police service, especially when Mr. Mohammed gave no credible reason for feeling intimidated other than the fact that the officers he was referring too were not of his ethnicity?. How can Dr. Moonilal say Mr. Mohammed's statements can spark a healthy debate when the Government's leadership via the Office of the Prime Minister has denounced Mr. Mohammed's statements as 'reckless, senseless, divisive and serving no purpose?' Both Sharma's and Moonilal's comments run counter to the sentiments of another top Government member in the person of Mr. Warner who's comments preceded the release from the Prime Minister's Office, stating that Mr. Mohammed's remarks has hurt him deeply and has caused much embarrassment to their Government. With all these different messages emanating from the People's Partnership it's almost as if parts of this Government exists in parallel dimensions, each entity distinct from the other with it's own agenda.

It would appear from the different sentiments being expressed by this Government that it is a Government speaking with a forked tongue, a Government with multiple heads, positions and agendas. It would also seem that the various heads of this Government are ignorant to the agendas of each other. As a citizen of Trinidad and Tobago I for one am dissatisfied with the release from the Prime Minister's Office and the position of this Government with regards Nizam Mohammed's statements and tenure as Chairman of the Police Service Commission. Until this Government takes collective responsibility for unleashing Mr. Mohammed on the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago, revoke his appointment and speak in unison as a Government, I can only conclude that the release from the Prime Minister's Office is nothing more than 'lip service', a gesture of appeasement to calm the masses while not categorically condemning Mr. Mohammed's claims. The failure of this Government to surgically remove itself from the sentiments of Mr. Mohammed can only lead one to conclude that Mr. Mohammed's comments does in fact reflect the present agenda of this Government irrespective of whether all the key players are aware of what that agenda is. ©

Nizam Mohammed Must Go!

I have called my lawyer and put him on standby prior to publishing this blog in the event that the police comes knocking on my door for daring to call for the removal of a public official who has brought his office into disrepute. This is an open letter to the President of my beloved Republic Trinidad and Tobago, to revoke as soon as is convenient to him the appointment of Nizam Mohammed as Chairman of the Police Service Commission. Mr. Mohammed first brought this office into disrepute by blatantly disregarding the lawful instruction of an officer of law and then subsequently using his position as Chairman of the PSC to undermine and subvert the course of justice, not to mention demoralise the two officers in question along with the entire police force. In addition, Mr. Mohammed's actions have fueled the perception in this country that the law is made only for the lower classes while the higher classes and those in high office can do whatever they wish without compunction, such a perception can only further fuel the already pervasive air of unlawfulness currently blowing through this land and the Prime Minister and Minister of National Security will do well to take heed.

Mr. Mohammed further brought his office into disrepute by going to Parliament last week and making a declaration that he is going to seek to adjust the racial imbalance of the police service because East Indians are 50% of the population. Firstly I have no idea where Mr. Mohammed got his statistics from but East Indians are roughtly 40% of the T&T population. Secondly I find it quite ominous that Mr. Mohammed would not suggest that more people of mixed descent be promoted into the police service because apart from the roughly 38% African population we have a mixed population of roughly 20%. What about the minority groups? Does Mr. Mohammed not want to see more caucasians, chinese and syrians in the police service? His focus on the East Indian population alone has revealed all too well what his inner thoughts are and the citizens of this country would do well to disregard and rebuke sentiments as espoused by the likes of Mr. Mohammed. There is no place in a cosmopolitan country such as Trinidad and Tobago for comments and sentiments such as Mr. Mohammed's. Secondly Mr. Mohammed's vow to interfere with the racial composition of the police service should be of grave concern to all citizens because that is not in the remit of his office as the purpose of the PSC is to review the performance of the COP, his deputies and the police service as a whole. Once Mr. Mohammed commences on his crusade of 'racial fixing' he will be stepping outside his bounds and then he would be doing the very thing he seems to want to allude others are doing i.e. giving preferential treatment to people of East Indian descent while sidelining persons of African descent and all other ethnic groups.

In addition Mr. Mohammed's aim should actually be the reverse, i.e. ensuring that there are sufficient Africans, Syrians, Chinese etc in the police service. In countries like England and the USA there are provisions for minority groups and a certain percentage of government positions are allocated for minority groups to ensure that the dominant ethnic group does not over power the minority groups. Mr. Mohammed seems to be advocating the reverse of that, because there are more East Indians than any other ethnic group in Trinidad & Tobago that they ought to dominate all aspects of our country. This indeed is a very dangerous advocation being made by Mr. Mohammed and all citizens ought to pay very close attention to the response of the Prime Minister who is of East Indian descent and who's core supporters are of East Indian descent. Out of curiousity would Mr. Mohammed advocate there being less East Indian doctors and more African doctors? How about lawyers? I wonder if Mr. Mohammed would be happy if someone charges that there should be more Africans and Mixed Peoples in the police service and government jobs than East Indians as the 38% Africans and 20% mixed gives you 58%!!

Mr. Mohammed has charged that he feels threatened by newspaper articles calling for his removal and has suggested that the Police Commissioner as well as the Minister of National security 'act' on it. Whatever Mr. Mohammed means by that I do hope he understands that he is a public official and any citizen can exercise their democratic rights in whatever way and call for his removal if we feel he is abusing his power or bringing his office in disrepute. Whether we choose to print 8 pages a day in the Express, write a letter to the Leader of the Opposition, Prime Minister, President or any of our Members of Parliament that is our constitutional right! I do not recall Mr. Mohammed or any current public official calling on the Police Comissioner a year ago to deal with all those people who were publishing weekly full page ads about Mr. Manning and Calder Hart. The mere fact that Mr. Mohammed does not seem to understand the constitutional rights of citizens when dealing with public officials is further proof that he is a public official gone astray and he needs to be removed forthwith! No public official is above the law or beyond criticism and the minute we start to go down that slippery slope, the end result is sure to be of dire consequences. ©

Creating Opportunity

Being interviewed by TV6 news on Carnival Monday Acting Police Commissioner James Philbert lamented the fact that citizens of this democratic country were not taking the advice of the police with regards the wearing of jewellery. He went on to state that the police specifically told citizens to not come into the city wearing their jewellery as this would create ‘opportunities’ for criminals. At flittering consideration Mr. Philbert’s recommendation might seem practical and therefore we may be quick to say ‘it good for dem’ should anyone be robbed of their gold chain on Carnival Monday or Tuesday, however that would be a fatal mistake and gross perversion of our democratic freedoms.

As citizens living in a democratic country it is our fundamental right to purchase and wear jewellery and other luxuries when and wherever we choose without having the fear or concern of creating opportunities for criminals. When a Police Commissioner could come on national television and make such empty statements it makes citizens feel more insecure, legitimizes criminal activity and holds the victim of a crime accountable for someone else’s callous actions.

If we are to go by Mr. Philbert’s logic then I can only conclude some of the following:-

•Pretty soon the police will be issuing travel advisories to tourists telling them to stay away from Trinidad & Tobago as their presence would create an opportunity for criminals.

•Citizens will be told not to drive into the city with their vehicles as this would create an opportunity for the criminals to steal them.

•Citizens will be told not to buy houses as this would create an opportunity for criminals to break into them.

•Citizens will be told not to wear nice clothes as this would give the impression that they have money and create the opportunity for criminals to rob them.

The point I am making is there will always be ‘opportunity’ for criminal minds. Truth be told, the successful lives of ordinary working class people in this country is by itself a lucrative opportunity for criminal minds who prefer not to work but instead choose to live off of hard working law abiding citizens. Criminals are committed to being the human parasites going so far as to killing their victims for their property. If one were to consider the vast majority of murders in 2009 not many of the victims were adorned in lavish gold jewellery and many were killed in their homes. I think the Commissioner’s time would be better spent on improving the efficacy of his men and enhancing the disgustingly low detection rate of the rubble he presides over known as the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service.

Mr. Philbert’s unfortunate statement is a just reflection of the dismal intellect emanating from the underperforming craniums of those charged with the responsibility of governing this country whose ideas and thought processes are completely void of any modernity. As far as they are concerned everything that goes wrong in this country is the citizen’s fault. The only solution now is for us as a nation to ‘create the opportunity’ for political and social innovation by removing the old political guards who are determined to keep us entrapped in a vacuum of mediocrity and psychological underdevelopment.

To protect, serve and pilfer with pride.

Honestly...............what more can be said? I guess the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service is entering the new year with a new and improved motto.

James Philbert no Sherlock Holmes

Much thanks to James Philbert we now know why this country has one of the lowest crime detection rates the world has ever seen. Imagine Sunday 20th, two days after the fracas outside Parliament between civilians and police Mr. Philbert was quoted in the Sunday Express as having stated that his men may have used excessive force and he did not think there was need for such force by his men. This report in the Sunday Express remains unchallenged to this day by Mr. Philbert and the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service so one can only assume that what was reported by the Sunday Express was the truth.

Fast forward to Tuesday 22nd, and here we have none other than Mr. James Philbert Acting Police Commissioner on TV6 news reviewing what appears to be a police created 10 second clip of his men ‘arriving’ at the scene in front Parliament on Friday. The video does not show any of the footage that was shown Friday evening by several media houses of the police beating, assaulting, pushing and antagonising the protesters. Yet still, ignoring all the lengthy clips provided by various media houses showing his men using unnecessary force to remove a group of citizens exercising their constitutional and human rights, Mr. Philbert says that based upon the police’s footage he is of the view that his men did not use excessive force.

What is even more amusing is Mr. Philbert says he is awaiting an ‘investigation’ before submitting the matter before the DPP. If this is in fact true, then why is Mr. Philbert making a statement as per his views concerning the actions of his men if he is ‘awaiting’ an investigation? If he has already concluded that his men did nothing wrong then why have an investigation? With this level of inconsistency coming from the head of the Police Service, his use of inadequate and blatantly biased evidence to justify the callous and unprofessional behaviour of his officers and his pronouncement on an issue even before receiving a report regarding a so called ‘investigation’, is it any wonder that the police service is unable to solve crimes. Mr. Philbert has breached every single investigatory and enquiry procedure in the book and it is quite clear to all and sundry that our TOP COP ain’t no Sherlock Holmes!

I also noticed that Mr. Philbert has indicated that there were many laws broken such as people jostling the police and swinging signs at the police. I wonder if Mr. Philbert is aware that it is a criminal offence for his police officers to unnecessarily jostle a group of citizens exercising their constitutional rights? I wonder if Mr. Philbert is aware that citizens of Trinidad and Tobago have a right to self defence irrespective of whether the person assaulting them is a police officer. It has been reported and has since not been denied that the police attempted to forcefully remove the protesters and as per Article 19 and 20 of the Human Rights Charter, I wonder if Mr. Philbert is aware that this is a breach of International Human Rights? Time and again the Police in Trinidad and Tobago seem to be totally oblivious of the laws they are responsible for enforcing. Hence the reason you have a man being arrested for exercising his constitutional rights with the police using a Highway Act to evoke arrest despite the fact that said individual was on a side walk nor was said individual ‘blocking’ and preventing anyone from entering or leaving Parliament. ©

State violence and breach of International Human Rights

According to Cambridge’s Online dictionary a protest march is defined as “an occasion when people show that they disagree with something by walking somewhere, often shouting and carrying signs.” In this same dictionary a riot is defined as “a noisy, violent, and uncontrolled public meeting”. With regard to the above definitions it can be clearly seen that a protest march ought not to be managed or dealt with by a riot squad because a riot squad’s sole purpose is to disburse and quell a violent uncontrolled public meeting and bring such meeting under control through the use of physical force.

A protest on the other hand does not require the presence of a riot squad as the very concept of protesting is a basic human right as enshrined in the Human Rights Charter, Article 19, the right to freedom of opinion and expression and Article 20, the right to freedom of assembly and association. The actions of the Police in front of Parliament last week Friday were a clear breach of International Human Rights. The minister of national security therefore owes the citizens of this country an explanation as to why from the time of the Summit of the Americas to the events occurring outside of Parliament last week Friday, his government through his ministry has sought the use of a riot squad to deal and treat with citizens who were not rioting but merely exercising their rights as per the human rights charter.

This action of the police has served to reinforce in the minds of many that it is a political tool of the PNM government, used to silence and intimidate those that are opposed to its policies. The silence of the government with regard the illegal actions of the police demonstrates that it is a government what will seek to silence
those oppose to it using any means including state violence. Worst still, time and again the Police Service which is responsible for maintaining law and order, has persistently demonstrated by their actions that they themselves are not knowledgeable about the laws they are responsible for enforcing and upholding, nor do they seem to comprehend to whom they are accountable and to whom they have a duty to protect. Thus very often you find the police service is found guilty of ill treating and abusing the very citizens they took an oath and swore to protect.

The ignorance and disrespect shown to citizens is not exclusive to the police service. Take for instance the disdain and disrespectful remarks made by Ms Esther Legendre who unfortunately is our ‘Honourable’ Minister of Education. A woman who because of her education portfolio, should be encouraging dialogue and the transfer of ideas from all fronts of society concerning national issues because dialogue and the exchange of ideas whether one agrees with said ideas or not is part of the education process. Minister Legendre was shown on television on Friday night speaking in parliament, referring to the protesters as pathetic. “Twelve people protesting” she bellowed while glowing in the admiration of her other misguided colleagues. Many have expressed shock at the Minister’s lack of professionalism and disrespect for the voice of the people, because be it twelve persons or two hundred thousand persons, in a democracy everyone has the right to be heard. What I find amusing is the inability of someone who is a Minister of Education to count, because at a simple glance even a 10 year old could have guessed that there was probably over a hundred people in front the red house.

Then there was Min Colm Imbert who incidentally had a more accurate guess as to how many people were protesting, nevertheless Colm described the protests as ‘political’. My question to Colm Imbert is what exactly is wrong with that? This is a democracy is it not? The government to which Mr. Imbert belongs IS POLITICAL therefore any opposition to the policies of his government will be political. Why therefore does Mr. Imbert think that he and his POLITICAL party has a monopoly on the politics of Trinidad and Tobago and therefore are the only ones who ought to be and have a right to be political? Politics is about formulating national policies such as the amendment of tax legislation Mr. Imbert therefore any objection to or discussion about your government’s plans will be political. Now that we’ve all been made aware of this fact can we talk about the Police’s actions on Friday which was political and which ought not to have been political?

Mr. Imbert was also quoted as saying “I myself came out on the public gallery and I did hear what appeared to be a megaphone or some form of amplification and that is not allowed.” I would like Min Imbert to inform the general population under what law can a citizen of Trinidad and Tobago not use a megaphone. I will also like Min Imbert to inform the general public why when those preachers come out on the Brian Lara Promenade using those portable megaphones, why the police do not arrest them. Could Min Imbert indicate if any such law preventing the use of a megaphone is constitutional and more so in line with the Human Rights Charter?

According to Article 20 of the Human Rights Charter everyone has a right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association. The word peaceful here does not pertain to noise/sound in the form of speech via amplification. The word peaceful here pertains to assembly and association without violence and we know this is so because Article 20 follows suit to Article 19 which states that as humans we have ‘the right to freedom of expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontier.’

The key phrase of Article 19 is the right to ‘receive and impart information and ideas through any media’. According to Cambridge Online Dictionary ‘media’ is the plural of medium therefore what Article 20 is stating is this, it is our fundamental right to receive and impart information and ideas through any medium and that includes the use of a megaphone. Minister Imbert et al need to educate themselves with regard our national laws and more importantly International Law especially law concerning human rights.

It is indeed a travesty when persons seek public office and then attempt to use the position acquired to misinform and miss-educate citizens for the purpose of psychologically binding and subduing said citizens. The opposition forces in this country ‘all’ of whom are political owe it to the citizens of this country to keep a very watchful eye on this PNM government because from all accounts this government has no regard whatsoever for the rights and voice of the citizens of this country. It is imperative that we as citizens nip the emerging state violence in the bud because if we fail to do so, it is as Prime Minister Manning once said “We will pay in Blood!” ©

To Protect, Serve and Disrespect With Pride

A student at the St. Joseph’s College in St. Joseph reported to her Principal that $1400.00 was stolen from her bag and was advised by said principal to report the matter to the police. The police were called in and students belonging to the class of the student whose money was allegedly stolen were stripped search by male and female officers respectively. Not being privy to how the actual searches were carried out I cannot say if the officers did it in a demeaning or intimidating manner but some thoughts do come to mind with regard to this whole fiasco.

I first want to address the manner in which searches are conducted by police officers in Trinidad and Tobago. Most police officers in Trinidad and Tobago have no manners....plain and simple. They do not know how to speak to their fellow citizens with respect. I have seen police officers speak to adults as if they were speaking to their own children. In the United States of America for example if you are in a vehicle and a police officer wants to search you, his requests for you to vacate the vehicle usually goes like this “Miss/Sir could you ‘please’ step out of the vehicle?”. Secondly officers in the US ask you to step out of your car if they notice you acting suspiciously, they do not ask you to step out of your vehicle and search you by guess because they get a ‘vibe’ to do it.

I remember once I was sitting in the front seat of a maxi taxi heading out of Diego Martin and there was a police road block in the environs of Powder Magazine. Our maxi was stopped and the police began their ‘selective’ searches...’you come! You Come!’ At the time I was about 22 years old and I remember sitting in the maxi and thinking to myself that something is fundamentally wrong with this procedure. What right does a police officer have to stop a public vehicle or any vehicle for that matter in the absence of a search warrant or any legitimate circumstances such as the search for a known fugitive or a threat to national security, rudely shout at people to vacate the vehicle only to be publicly searched simply because they get a ‘vibe’? Since when is sitting in a maxi heading out of Diego Martin a suspicious act?

Highly annoyed that I was being unnecessarily delayed highly annoyed at having to witness fellow citizens being subjected to such barbaric humiliation I remember sitting in the front seat looking straight ahead, not because I was the least bit intimidated, on the contrary I was firetrucking annoyed at having my Saturday morning rudely interrupted by these uncouth ruffarians in uniform. Low and behold a hand suddenly shoots into the vicinity of my face ‘You come!’ I turn my head nonchalantly at the uniformed pig that barked the order and gave him that look I’m most famous for...the one where I use my eyes alone to tell you what a f***k head I think you are. I considered my options, allow the arse to search me unlawfully or assert my rights and risk being beaten in handcuffs all the way to the pig style (station) to which these animals belong so they can charge me for using ‘obscene language’, even though I didn’t use obscene language as I was too busy shielding blows and stemming the flow of blood from my rude, how dare I declare my rights lips.

I must confess I copped out and took the easy route. My bag was searched and I was patted in public for the first time in my life by a police officer and I must say it is the most humiliating thing ever. Up to this day I have no idea what prompted my search. It’s not to say I was dressed like a ‘bad boy’ and even one's attire, whether dressed like a bad boy or not is not sufficient reason for an officer to search someone because that is blatant discrimination. Even at the age of 17 I never succumbed to peer pressure and indulged in oversize gaudy clothes...straight fitted Levis all the way thank you, I was always conservative that way and my peers accused my pants of being ‘ying’, and I was never one for clothes with big prints. I had on a pair of Levis and a plain t-shirt...so what exactly prompted that officer to call me out for a search?

Honestly before that faithful morning it never occurred to me that simply sitting in a maxi taxi minding my own business on my way to Port of Spain was suspicious activity enough to warrant an officer to search me. And they say we have more rights and freedoms than the people of Cuba? The police service needs to do a complete overhaul on the level of training that is given to officers. Officers must be trained to be seen to be and act as part of the community. Officers must be seen as pillars of respect not pillars of disrespect and champions of bullying tactics. What kind of message is the police service sending to a five year old when an officer pulls over a maxi and shouts out at a passenger ‘You Come!’

My other bone of contention is with these uppity parents of these St. Joseph students and the Parent Teacher Association who seems to represent only one type of class of schools and children. Granted the experience I mentioned above was the first and last time I was searched, as a student I do recall on many occasions making my way home from school or from the library, seeing police officers rough up and strip search students of what may be considered ‘schools of lesser quality’ such as the comprehensives and I do recall that these students would have either been making their way home or waiting for transport. The police would collar these students, clout them and search them in the middle of the road. I remember this one time seeing a female officer ‘bitch slap’ a girl, her head practically did a 360 degree turn.

Not once have I ever heard any head of the Parent Teacher Association speaking out against the police brutally meted out to students attending ‘certain’ schools. But the minute the uptown children are given a little taste of the medicine that is dished out on a daily basis to the downtown students all of a sudden we are hearing about investigations and enquiry into the police’s actions. This is nothing but another blatant example of the gross class discrimination that permeates this rotted society of ours. I also note with much amusement that the Parent Teacher Association does not also see it fit to question why a school pupil will be in possession of $1,400.00, but then again this is uptown people we're talking about here.....who knows it's probably the girl's daily allowance! ©

Standstill Police

What do some police officers in T&T have in common with mannequins? The ability to stand pretty still while simultaneously executing the difficult task of doing absolutely nothing. Now don’t get me wrong, I have some friends in the Police Service who are quite passionate about their jobs. There is one female officer I went to school with who is connected to the patrol branch downtown, she is well known on Frederick Street. Missy doh make joke with errant motorists and illegal vendors. I remember once I was walking down Frederick street and I saw her in action dealing with the illegal vendors....can you believe my heart actually went out a little to the vendors.

But the law is the law and it must be upheld. Despite there being officers like my friend mentioned above, there are just too many lazy mediocre police men and women in the service. While I believe criminals should be solely held accountable for their nefarious actions, I believe the overall mediocre performance of T&T’s Police Service plays a significant role in actually boosting the confidence of T&T’s criminals. Criminals commit crimes with the confidence that the police will respond nonchalantly to investigating and apprehending them for their miss-deeds. It is this reluctance of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service to deal with minor offenders that is fostering a feeling of comfort amongst the criminals in this country and I have photos to prove such.

Decay in society and the disrespect shown for the rule of law does not begin with violent crime it begins with the committing of and the allowing of small crimes. Small crimes such as littering, speeding, parking badly, drinking and driving are all committed in abundance in this country and certain police officers are notorious for turning a blind eye to their practice. As a matter of fact, dealing with petty offenders in New York City was one of the ways that city was able to turn around its rising crime rate. Dealing with petty offenders prevented them from branching off to becoming seasoned offenders. Regular road blocks and dealing with reckless drivers and persons committing other petty transgressions was also one of the ways New York City was able to apprehend some of their seasoned criminals as seasoned criminals are often repeat offenders of petty crimes.

This week I was having lunch with a friend upstairs Excellent City Centre, and we were sitting at the outer balcony were you have an overhead view of Fredrick Street. Low and behold there was this black car parked directly in front of a fire hydrant and two ‘stand still’ police officers standing outside Aboutique Mall in full view of this clear breach of the law. According to the Motor Vehicle and Road Traffic Act it is unlawful to park within three (3) metres of a fire hydrant, but here is this motorist parked directly in front of a fire hydrant in full view of T&T’s finest who do absolutely nothing.

My friend and I were upstairs Excellent Stores for approximately forty five minutes and those officers stood there for close to 20 minutes before walking away leaving the vehicle still on spot. So if there was a fire and the Fire Services had to utilize that hydrant what would have been the situation? If I were the Fire Officer I know the answer, the hose was passing straight over that vehicle scratching paint job and windscreen! When our law enforcement officers fail to even address little transgressions like these on a daily basis what they are indirectly doing is espousing the chronic lawlessness currently plaguing our society. I do hope that the senior police officers take note of this mediocrity that persists amongst its rank and file and addresses it in an appropriate manner.

Drugs & Ammo the key to your HDC House

Years ago I applied to HDC to get a house and I've never once gotten a phone call even acknowledging the submission of my application, but Alas, I have figured out the key to getting an HDC house.

Yuh see, last week some police officers made a drug bust on some other police officers at the St. Joseph Police Station. Drugs and illegal ammnunition was found in the roof of the St. Joseph Police Station and instead of arresting every officer in that station or even suspending them, they were simply transferred to other stations.

Now some of you might think it harsh for me to expect all these officers at the St. Joseph Police Station to be arrested and maybe it is harsh because I'm sure not every single police officer at this station is corrupt. But the thing is, if a family of let's say 6 people are living together, and one of them is dealing drugs and illegal firearms, if the police raids the house of this family as far as I know everybody in the house going down!

This is clearly a case of different strokes for different folks. I honestly didn't understand Philbert's logic that they had to transfer the officers so that persons visiting the St. Joseph Police Station will feel reassured that the officers to which they are seeking assistance from are not 'bad cops'. I want to know if Philbert thinks the entire citizenry is grateful to him now that he has dispersed these suspected dirty cops to different stations where they can now further pollute the stations of other districts? Doesn't he realise that by dispersing and retaining cops who have clouds hanging over their heads would be a blemish on the entire force? While I understand his arguments of industrial relations, these officers could have at least been placed on paid suspension until the completion of any investigations. I honestly don't know why everyone seemed so surprised by this find anyway because I've always maintained that the biggest illegal gang in T&T is the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service.

In any event, back to my original grouse with the HDC house, clearly the police has changed their stance with regard to arresting everyone when drugs and ammunition is found in a building. So hear what folks to all of you who tired of paying rent, just get some drugs and a few rounds of ammunition, bore a whole in your apartment's ceiling (don't make too much noise because yuh don't want to alert the landlord), put the drugs and ammo in the ceiling then call the police yuhself. Once they find the drugs and ammmo in your apartment you will be transferred to an HDC house that you applied for 20 yrs ago! ©