Panday: Crime caused by gov’t bad spending

The Member of Parliament for Couva a North is seeking an explanation from Minister of National Security Martin Joseph and Acting Police Commissioner James Philbert for the increase in criminal activity in his constituency.

In a news release, Basdeo Panday said gangs are terrorizing Couva residents while the authorities are boasting that they do not have a problem with resources.

The opposition leader said the problem is very serious at Roystonia and the Couva North Phase 2 development where people are under increased attacks from armed criminals. He said business owners say the Couva Police Station is under-resourced, requiring three times the current manpower of 33 officers, and at least 10 vehicles.

Media reports Monday quoted Acting Commissioner Philbert as saying the police service is not short on vehicles. But Panday said while the police chief is saying this officers at almost every police station across the country complain that they do not have vehicles to respond to crimes.

“How is it that every time a person calls a police station the station does not have enough police officers and they do not have vehicles available to respond to a crime scene? Is the commissioner telling the truth when he says the police do not have a resource problem? Or is it that he is not properly managing the resources that he has?” Panday asked.

“It is clear that the billions of dollars allocated to improving public safety are being spent in the wrong places. The Minister is pumping the money behind expensive foreign consultants instead of using it to address such elementary deficiencies as building police stations, increasing the manpower of the service and giving police officers cars and equipment to work with. That is why the crime rate is out of control,” the former prime minister added.

“What is disappointing is that the acting commissioner knows that the police service is not properly resourced and instead of lobbying for these resources he appears to be either in denial or afraid to put pressure on the government for the police to get the tools needed in order to protect citizen from criminals.”

On Friday, Panday told the media a lack of police patrols is linked to crime and the carnage on the nation’s roads.