TOO MUCH BLACK CRIME
By Marlene Augustine Saturday, August 1 2015
Acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams yesterday bemoaned alarming research which reveals the majority of murder victims and offenders in jail are African-Trinidadians.
As the nation today observes the abolition of African slavery, with the celebration of Emancipation Day, Williams spoke of how troubled he felt to see so many blacks in prison that he did his own research, which showed much more had to be done to reduce crime among African- Trinidadians.
“When entering the prisons, what I see is a large majority...almost all, the majority are the Africans in prisons. I did some research around murder, and generally killings in Trinidad and Tobago, and who I see as the majority victims, and who we identified as the offenders, are the Africans,†Williams told his audience at the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service’s (TTPS) annual Emancipation Day celebrations at Police Administration Building, Sackville Street, Port-of-Spain.
Williams’ remarks come during a week when videos from behind prison walls showed many African- Trinidadian prisoners in the Remand Yards, seeming to enjoy the spoils of illicit drugs, contraband cell-phones and even partying.
Williams did not disclose any results of his research but was hopeful of being an agent of change in prison reform.
“I always ask to bring down the power of love,†Williams said, quoting local powerhouse singer Ella Andall, who later sang her African-themed anthem, “Bring down the Powerâ€.
The top cop continued, “I have the opportunity of being part of the Cabinet-appointed committee to look at the improvements in the prison system of Trinidad and Tobago.†As an African-Trinidadian, Williams said his experiences have shown African descendants still have a long journey to personal emancipation.
“It touches my heart deeply to know for a fact by way of Emancipation (Day) there is still a long journey for us, and as African people we need to do everything possible to make that journey one we can travel at a faster rate, so we can cover the distance within the shortest period of time,†he said.
Williams even addressed the issue of patriotism, in the month in which the nation will observe its 53rd anniversary of Independence, through his observance of how few people even sing the National Anthem. Again, quoting a line from the Anthem, “every creed and race has an equal place,†Williams said, “One of the key things I recognised as a society, and it is not limited to the Africans, as a society we don’t really even appreciate our National Anthem. There were only a few persons that sang the Anthem.†He noted that at the very Emancipation Day function he was presiding over, not many sang the Anthem, saying “If everyone sang the Anthem it would have rang out loudly into the atmosphere. I am not here to please anyone...only a few sang the National Anthem.†Yet again, using another quote, this time from Jamaican reggae icon Bob Marley’s “Redemption Songâ€, Williams declared, “Emancipate yourself from mental slavery.†Williams indicated the nation is enslaved in so many ways, and citizens need to change their mentality.
“We have to start as individuals to focus on how we can go forward, and by way of contributing to individuals. We have a collective impact as a society to move forward.
Each and every one of us has a role to play to make this place better, not only for the Africans, but for everyone in this land,†he said.
The commissioner stated the nation needed to reflect on the past in order to go forward, and not for the past to repeat itself.
“We focus on celebrations like these... Emancipation celebrations, we need to be able to reflect, reflect on the past not for it to repeat, but to guide us to go forward into the future. The TTPS itself has to find ways and means to ensure that as an organisation we can travel the part for Emancipation,†he said.
Responding to the commissioner’s comments yesterday, chairman of the Emancipation Support Committee Khafra Kambon said based on statistical information, “it is trueâ€, that as far as arrests go, “you see the majority (Africans) in the prisons.†“As far as I know where convictions and arrest go, the people who you see frequently in prisons with these type of matters, you see the majority of the people (Africans),†he said.
“You can take what is true statistically...if the statistic say 60 percent of the persons who are held for shooting are Africans then you can say that it is a fact. But I can use that fact for one purpose or another,†said Kambon.
As of July 29, by Newsday’s count there were 233 murders, most of which were African men.
By Marlene Augustine Saturday, August 1 2015
Acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams yesterday bemoaned alarming research which reveals the majority of murder victims and offenders in jail are African-Trinidadians.
As the nation today observes the abolition of African slavery, with the celebration of Emancipation Day, Williams spoke of how troubled he felt to see so many blacks in prison that he did his own research, which showed much more had to be done to reduce crime among African- Trinidadians.
“When entering the prisons, what I see is a large majority...almost all, the majority are the Africans in prisons. I did some research around murder, and generally killings in Trinidad and Tobago, and who I see as the majority victims, and who we identified as the offenders, are the Africans,†Williams told his audience at the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service’s (TTPS) annual Emancipation Day celebrations at Police Administration Building, Sackville Street, Port-of-Spain.
Williams’ remarks come during a week when videos from behind prison walls showed many African- Trinidadian prisoners in the Remand Yards, seeming to enjoy the spoils of illicit drugs, contraband cell-phones and even partying.
Williams did not disclose any results of his research but was hopeful of being an agent of change in prison reform.
“I always ask to bring down the power of love,†Williams said, quoting local powerhouse singer Ella Andall, who later sang her African-themed anthem, “Bring down the Powerâ€.
The top cop continued, “I have the opportunity of being part of the Cabinet-appointed committee to look at the improvements in the prison system of Trinidad and Tobago.†As an African-Trinidadian, Williams said his experiences have shown African descendants still have a long journey to personal emancipation.
“It touches my heart deeply to know for a fact by way of Emancipation (Day) there is still a long journey for us, and as African people we need to do everything possible to make that journey one we can travel at a faster rate, so we can cover the distance within the shortest period of time,†he said.
Williams even addressed the issue of patriotism, in the month in which the nation will observe its 53rd anniversary of Independence, through his observance of how few people even sing the National Anthem. Again, quoting a line from the Anthem, “every creed and race has an equal place,†Williams said, “One of the key things I recognised as a society, and it is not limited to the Africans, as a society we don’t really even appreciate our National Anthem. There were only a few persons that sang the Anthem.†He noted that at the very Emancipation Day function he was presiding over, not many sang the Anthem, saying “If everyone sang the Anthem it would have rang out loudly into the atmosphere. I am not here to please anyone...only a few sang the National Anthem.†Yet again, using another quote, this time from Jamaican reggae icon Bob Marley’s “Redemption Songâ€, Williams declared, “Emancipate yourself from mental slavery.†Williams indicated the nation is enslaved in so many ways, and citizens need to change their mentality.
“We have to start as individuals to focus on how we can go forward, and by way of contributing to individuals. We have a collective impact as a society to move forward.
Each and every one of us has a role to play to make this place better, not only for the Africans, but for everyone in this land,†he said.
The commissioner stated the nation needed to reflect on the past in order to go forward, and not for the past to repeat itself.
“We focus on celebrations like these... Emancipation celebrations, we need to be able to reflect, reflect on the past not for it to repeat, but to guide us to go forward into the future. The TTPS itself has to find ways and means to ensure that as an organisation we can travel the part for Emancipation,†he said.
Responding to the commissioner’s comments yesterday, chairman of the Emancipation Support Committee Khafra Kambon said based on statistical information, “it is trueâ€, that as far as arrests go, “you see the majority (Africans) in the prisons.†“As far as I know where convictions and arrest go, the people who you see frequently in prisons with these type of matters, you see the majority of the people (Africans),†he said.
“You can take what is true statistically...if the statistic say 60 percent of the persons who are held for shooting are Africans then you can say that it is a fact. But I can use that fact for one purpose or another,†said Kambon.
As of July 29, by Newsday’s count there were 233 murders, most of which were African men.
