Murder Toll 500 for 3rd Time in TT History: How Do We Assess Government’s Performance?

​​On December 12, our country crossed 2 milestones that we would have preferred not to.
On that morning, the annual murder toll reached the mark of 500 for only the third time in the our history, and we also hit the mark of 7,700 murders since 1994.

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​Our highest annual murder tolls, now stand at 550 – 2008, 509 – 2009, 500 – 12 Dec 2018, 494 – 2017 and 485 – 2010.
No sooner had we passed this notorious milestone and the political parties cranked up their propaganda machines, including their social media networks, to begin claiming who better than who in dealing with crime.
However, the most important assessment of Government’s ensuring the safety and security of citizens is that of We, the People. While the politicians seek to claim kudos or demonise each other, it is the citizens, the victims of this murderous criminality who feel the pain and loss, the fear and intimidation that each incident of savage slaughter imposes on us.
WHO BETTER THAN WHO?
A review of the cumulative graph of destruction of human lives over the last 24 years shows the trends, the most remarkable of which is the steady climb in the total loss of life from 143 in 1994 to 7700 so far in 2018. More than 7700 citizens cut down in a time in which we are supposed to be living in peace.
After a decline in the annual count between 1994 and 1999, the trend has been mostly upward apart from a decline from 485 to 410 in 2015.
And while the political parties make claims and counterclaims of “success” or “failure” in fighting crime, it is undeniable that the steepest rises in murders occurred with the PNM in charge. The four highest murder tolls were recorded under the 2 most recent PNM regimes, while the fifth occurred in the transition year 2010.
The annual toll has not dropped below 350 for the last 13 years. The facts show that “success” in dealing with this murder spree has at best been more apparent than real. The fear, though, is real.
It is interesting that the Opposition Leader has called for the resignation of the latest of the trio of Ministers of National Security while he accused the Opposition of ‘trying to create a false narrative’.
But, facts are stubborn things and this Minister has is now presiding over the highest murder toll in 9 years.
WHAT WE WERE PROMISED
In 2015, in their Manifesto, the PNM assessed the UNC’s record on crime this way:
“What is their record on crime?
• Violent crime is out of control, while white collar crime, ……has reached epidemic levels.
• The murder total has exceeded 400 for the last two years and there has been no reduction in the murder rate for this year with over 250 murders in the first 7 months of 2015..” – PNM Manifesto 2015 , p. 9
 But, now that their ‘record on crime’ reads ‘the murder total has exceeded 460 for the last three years” and with over 320 murders in the first 7 months of 2018 and 500 in less than 11 ½ months, the measure of failure has changed.
In a post-Cabinet media conference 2 Ministers joined in to defend the record of the NatSec Minister and their government and invited us to judge them on their promises. “we promised to improve our border security. We promised that we will treat with the institution of the police service which we are now doing. We promised to speed up the court system….We’re keeping our promises,” one former Minister in the Ministry said.
And, while claiming that gang-related violence is a major contributor, the NatSec Minister reminds us that “the first arrest and charges under the Anti-Gang Act (item No. 9 in their 10-point Crime Plan) took place earlier this year. 
Meanwhile murder 501 is already recorded.
For his part, the CoP who invited us in July to “Measure me by murder toll” seemed to have measured himself this way “‘It’s unacceptable’ Top cop Griffith on 500 murders”. He also invited us to now measure him on an imagined toll which has been ‘avoided” and “while 500 murders have been committed for the year, the figure could have been closer to 600.”. Which are we to use?
WHAT WE WANT
The AG, today, put it best when he said “People are hungry for results….”.
While the recent ‘extractions’ of kidnap victims has been loudly welcomed by citizens, the fact that kidnappings are on the increase is worrying. While the ‘rate of increase has decreased’ in terms of murders per month since June, that is no comfort when a 500-plus murder record is set for the year.
We want to be safe and secure. We want our Right to Safety and Security to be made real.
Promises are not enough.
We demand results! Our Lives Depend on IT.
Clyde Weatherhead
A Citizen Demanding Our
Right to Safety and Security
13 December 2018

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