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WHILE the opposition questions the government’s crime plan, Minister of Defence Wayne Sturge said it has already implemented 12 out of the party’s 60-point plan within its first 100 days in office.
Holding the UNC’s campaign manifesto to the crowd at the party’s Monday Night Report at the Couva South Multi-Purpose Hall, Camden Road, Sturge said it was the government’s mandate for the next five years.
He said four of the points were accomplished almost immediately when the Prime Minister restructured the Ministry of National Security and split it into the Ministry of Homeland Security, the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Justice.
Additionally, Sturge said government had already begun work towards the stand-your-ground law, of which a dedicated “home invasion” offence would be created, and the right to bear arms would be a part of.
“If you look at the proposed title ground legislation, you will see the two of them in there. So what we are doing is providing you with the legal framework so that when the time comes, God forbid, you have the law on your side to protect yourself from when people come to invade your homes.”
He also said trained police officers would be placed in schools come September to combat school violence.
Offenders, he said, will be sent to rehabilitation programmes like the Civilian Conservation Corps and will be allowed to complete their academics.
The minister said another point was achieved with the appointment of a substantive Commissioner of Police.
“In the past, you have situations where men would run up at President’s house and intercept merit list. We haven’t done that. We have allowed the process to take its course, and we have appointed the one who the Police Service Commission has said is the best and the most suitably qualified candidate, and we have appointed him, and we...(have) confidence in him. And for what you have seen, he is working.”
Sturge said in keeping with initiative 21 of the manifesto, a forensic science centre would be created at the University of the West Indies’ Debe Campus following the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In keeping with initiative 23, he said Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar recently announced increasing the legal age of alcohol and drug consumption to 21.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the honourable Prime Minister, as a mother, is protecting our minors from themselves and from others.”
Additionally, he said Minister of Homeland Security Roger Alexander absorbed over 800 special reserve officers into the police service and 280 auxiliary fire officers into the fire service to deal with vacancies.
Additionally, he said the Coast Guard’s Damen vessels were recently sent to dry dock for repair to be returned to service to protect the country’s maritime borders.
“The last government allowed it to decline, and you have seen it. They’ve allowed it to decline because they didn’t care whether drugs was coming. They didn’t care whether guns was coming. They didn’t care what they was doing to us, allowing migrants to come, and among them, representatives of the Tren de Aragua terrorist organisation.”
Sturge assured the government was going to fight hard against criminals under the leadership of the Prime Minister and Attorney General.
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