Trinidad promises new legislation as death toll mounts

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – The Trinidad and Tobago government Wednesday said it intends bringing legislation to Parliament that would increase the severity of the punishment for persons found guilty of murdering or injuring law enforcement officials.

National Security Minister Stuart Young, speaking at a news conference following the murder of a senior prison officer on Tuesday night, also said that an inter-agency task force would be working alongside the prison authorities in investigating the murder of Acting Superintendent of Prisons Wayne Jackson.

“Today is indeed a dark day (but) Mr Jackson’s life will not be lost in vain,” Young said, adding “the  message I would like to send to Trinidad and Tobago …is that you touch one, you touch all of us and we are not going to accept the criminal element targeting any of our law enforcement”.

Young, flanked by the leadership of the security agencies, including recently appointed Police Commissioner Gary Griffith, said “we are making renewed, rejuvenated, more energetic efforts to ensure that the criminal elements fail."

“We are going to do everything within our control to make sure there is an appropriate reaction and a sustainable reaction to this going forward,” he said.

Young said that the new legislation would be brought before the Parliament by January next year, increasing the punishment for criminals who kill or injure law enforcement officers.

He said that will also be an increase in the punishment meted out to corrupt officers who are caught in trafficking of guns and drugs.

Meanwhile, as the death toll pushed past 400, with the murder of three men, including a musician at a bar in south Trinidad, Young told reporters “there is no doubt that Trinidad and Tobago right now is fighting a scourge of crime.”

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