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  • 8 hours ago
Former National Security Minister Gary Griffith says the U.S ambassador-designate is 100 percent correct in her assessment of Trinidad and Tobago's crime crisis, warning that those who disagree with her should not attempt to discredit or attack her simply because her comments may be uncomfortable for the Government.

More from Nicole M Romany.
Transcript
00:00Former National Security Minister Gary Griffith was responding to comments
00:05by U.S. Ambassador-designate Jennifer Johnson Carroll, who raised concerns about Trinidad
00:12and Tobago's repeated states of emergency and the approach to tackling crime.
00:18Griffith says her assessment should be taken seriously.
00:23And the U.S. Ambassador-delegate, she is spot on.
00:26Trying to state that crime is going down and blowing a trumpet because of a state of emergency
00:30where you have the capacity to arrest 300 persons who you believe might commit crime,
00:35so you incarcerate them and crime will go down and you blow your trumpet.
00:38However, Griffith argues that the country's response to crime remains fundamentally flawed,
00:45saying a state of emergency cannot substitute for a comprehensive crime strategy.
00:51He is calling for an independent advisory committee
00:54to help develop a more effective national response.
00:58When it is you have a state of emergency and you try to block criminals from doing what is required,
01:04it doesn't dismantle the system. It doesn't turn it into trying to find a way to eliminate the crime
01:09problem. What you've done is you're winning by default and eventually there's going to be a price
01:13to pay. The price to pay from hundreds of millions in damages and lawsuits to also when these persons
01:19come back, they're going to be emboldened, they're going to be aggressive, they will want to retaliate.
01:23He also weighs in on the planned relocation of the independence day parade.
01:28We had the independence parade in front of president's house a year and also another period
01:33it actually went in front of Napa. So this is not a first. I think we should sit back and
01:39instead
01:39of criticizing, let's just try to unite. That is what independence is about. Let's not try to
01:44politicize this as well. Let's just, a decision has been made, let's welcome it and see how it goes.
01:48Nicola M. Romany, TV6 News.
01:51Nicola M. Romany, TV6 News.
01:52Male 2, Laura M. Romany, TV6 News.
01:54You
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