T&T looking to deport criminals as murders climb to 234

While Trinidad and Tobago is seeing an unprecedented number of murders - 234 so far for 2009 - the Manning government is looking at a policy of reverse deportation.

At the present time nationals who commit major crimes in countries like Canada and the United States are deported to their home country when they complete their sentences. In some cases people convicted of murder have been deported to Trinidad.

National Security Minister Martin Joseph told reporters Thursday Caricom Governments are examining the issue of reciprocal arrangements for the deportation of criminals.

He said some Caricom states are not even bothering to jail people since it is less costly to just put them on a plane and send them back. He said Trinidad and Tobago is paying close attention to that trend because it has an impact on the crime problem in the country.

The minister noted that "17 or 19" persons were deported in the past few days and at least one of them coming back to the country had served time for murder.

He explained that foreign authorities give the government prior notice of the deportations outlining all the personal information, including the crime(s) committed. He said in some cases people sent back to Trinidad have had no connection with the country other than being a citizen by birth.

That is a serious problem because penal authorities in Canada and the United States do not take into consideration that their societies may have nurtured the criminals since many of them arrived as immigrants while they were infants. It is a way for them to dump their problems on countries like Trinidad and Tobago.

Joseph said his Ministry liaises with Social Development to ensure that arriving deportees have "a roof over their heads and thereafter other mechanisms are put in place."

He said changing the way things are done is not going to be easy because "it very unlikely that the American Government would stop sending back persons who are from the region and have been engaged in criminal activities while in US".

Commenting on the homicide figures for the year the minister noted that the figure of 234 is 30 more than the corresponding period of Jan. 1 to June 4, 2008. He said what is even more alarming is that the number of gang-related killings is down, meaning there are more "unclassified" murders. Such murders, he said, have increased from one to 85.

Joseph said in 2008 a total of 128 of 204 murders committed by June 4 were classified as gang-related. In 2009 that has dropped to 73 of the 234 murders.

The much touted anti-crime plan is meant to deal with the growing criminal activity, Joseph noted. But that plan, which is being supervised by retired Canadian Major General Cameron Ross, will be delayed "for some time again".

Ross told reporters Thursday there are 115 recommendations that are being considered "line by line".