51 Arrested In The Beetham

Is Trinidad Law Enforcement Tactics Similar To The Middle East?

An article I read a couple of days ago had me thinking. The title of this post was a headline in the Trinidad Express.

What bothered me about it is a little controversial because I know some people here would not agree with what I have to say. I know this because today I read the Express editorial condoning what happened at the Beetham.

According to the story the 200 police officer and 60 regiment officers locked down the Beetham and searched every house in there. Fifty one persons were arrested. Question is: Was that action supported by the Constitution of this Republic? And if it is that needs to be changed. Was it ethical?

Ah know those things eh important when people getting killed but even murderers have rights. Now you and I know that most of the people in the Beetham just poor, they not all gangsters, thieves and murderers.

It reminds me of what we hear about in countries like Egypt, Syria, Libya and other Middle Eastern countries. They just go from house to house and arrest who ever for what ever. If it's not right there it's not right here.

Don't get me wrong, I agree that something should be done about lawlessness in Lavantille, the Beetham, George and Nelson Streets. The things that have been happening lately all need immediate attention. Something has to be done, and I hope the people they caught breaking the law would be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Who are they protecting and serving?

The law enforcement in this country is operating like they in the fifty and sixties. This is 2011 and while we give away millions we still don't have the basic law enforcement tools to solve crimes like in CSI. What's stopping we from getting things like a DNA lab, national fingerprint system, a criminal database. This boils me, the topic was on this blog in February 2011; Guns don't Solve Crimes People do.


You know what? Is because we declare war on crime and every body know in a war all you need is some big guns bullet proof vest and plenty men. That's how you win, and still we wonder what we doing wrong.

Today, as a free society we boast of having human rights, constitutional rights, and all the other rights that don't mean squat when accosted by a police officer.

Imagine how many people's constitutional rights were trampled upon that day with no possible recourse. Have you ever seen how a police officer search for arm or drug in a house. If he do it right, when they done it looks like Katrina just pass.

Just imagine you are a law abiding citizen and just because you dumb enough to live in the Beetham police break down yuh door in the early morning and announce a search. Was a warrant issued to search every house in the Beetham? What judge would issue such a warrant? Where?

Right here. I dunno where you live but could you imagine your entire neighborhood on lock down, you can't work the next day. Your excuse to your boss. "The police search meh place this morning buh they did not find notting" What do u think your boss would say? You should move out ah Beetham.

The fact is that what the police did there was not police work. They coulda get a gang ah CEPEP workers with guns to do the same thing. Police work should be detecting, narrowing it down to maybe a few suspicious houses, not the whole dam neighborhood.

Now we paying a man $100K a month to do such nonsense and nobody saying nothing. Wah would ah happen if it was Westmooring? Nah never happen, too many people know they constitutional rights there.

Ah eh know bout allyuh buh ah shame for we.  We should spend the millions we giving away for all these cultural events (one day national parties) to train we police, we go all truly benefit from it. Wuh u think?

Nah doh do that cos then you will feel like me and have to write about it.