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LEARNING FROM TRINIDAD

Sep 21, 2011 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

 

 

Trinidad declared a state of emergency to deal with its crime problem. And it has worked and is showing great returns.
The state of emergency has been welcomed by the vast majority of the population who are peace-loving and law-abiding. They have no problems with the curfew hours (which were recently relaxed). Most of them are in any event in the homes long before the curfew begins at 11pm, and does not need to go outdoors, except for emergency purposes or for overseas travel, in which case special permits are issued.
The state of emergency has seen a number of weapons seized and the arrest of long wanted men, some of whom were found holed up in luxury hotels. In none of the areas identified as hot spots has there been a gang-related murder since the curfew was implemented.
Obviously some businesses have been affected, especially the lively night life. Some clubs have tried to circumvent the curfew by keeping their patrons inside behind closed doors until 4am when the curfew ends, but the government has moved quickly to stamp out this practice.
And guess what? Trinidad and Tobago’s image has not taken a battering, but it is not clear as yet what will be the effect on tourism. The twin-island republic is however making inroads in suppressing criminal activity. The restrictions have expectedly raised concerns from within the opposition, and there have been other expressions about the use of force by the security services, but all in all, most Trinidadians seem to welcome what is happening, so long as this contributes to a safer society.
Guyana needs a curfew, but not one that is imposed by decree or through the instrumentality of a state of emergency. Guyana needs a self-imposed curfew, whereby people decide of their own free will to stay indoors after certain hours.
The vast majority of Guyanese actually do so. Most are indoors by eight in the evening, and therefore it is only a minority of persons who are out in the streets.
With our security forces already stretched, a self-imposed curfew would be ideal. It will considerably ease the pressure on our security services, since there would be less need for patrols to move around as fewer persons would be on the streets.
But how can this self-imposed curfew be implemented? It may not be enough for persons simply to agree to be in their homes by nightfall. This is already happening in most homes and still there are thousands of Guyanese who can be seen at nights moving around – some aimlessly, some simply liming and others looking for prey.
If you go around to any of the markets in the city each night you will find hundreds of Guyanese just hanging out.
There are, of course, laws in place that prohibit the opening of certain businesses at certain times and on certain days. But these are mainly observed in the breach. There are laws that prohibit the opening of businesses on Sunday, yet many businesses, including some owned by foreign nationals, are opened all day on Sundays.
Some supermarkets open until eight at night and shops which previously closed at 4 pm are having extended opening hours. There used to be a time when late shopping for Christmas used to be from December 15. Over the past few years, the stores are opened during the run-up to Christmas from as early as the last week in November.
All of this needs to be changed. The laws concerning the opening and closing of businesses need to be adhered to. There is no reason why in a small country like Guyana, persons need to be doing shopping after 6pm each day, no need at all.
Discos and bars should be closed at midnight on weekdays and on Saturdays at 2 am. There is no need at all for people to be partying till daybreak. We do not have the number of security personnel to adequately police the many party zones way into the wee hours of the morning.
The laws are in place. The vast majority of the population already is in doors by nightfall. It will make a great difference if everyone else falls in line so as to make the country a safer place.

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