PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – Woodford Square is in the center of the capital. It is a stone throw away from the Parliament building and the High Court.

It is also known as “the University of Woodford Square” because of the many debates from politics to economics to human rights taking place there on any given day. In addition, political parties as well as civil and social organisations use the venue to garner support for their respective causes.

Now, if the Justice Minister and former High Court judge, Herbert Volney has his way, Woodford Square will be the venue to hang convicted murderers.

"I am not opposed in principle to hanging persons, but it has to be in respect to brutal and heinous crimes. Persons should be hanged in Woodford Square, six or seven in the morning. The people should see the hangings take place, they need to feel the fear of God and have fear for the law,” Volney said.

His statements are the latest among government ministers, who have been making known their own individual positions on the matter ever since Works and Transport Minister Jack Warner publicly expressed his support for the resumption of State executions.

But Prime Minister Kamla persad-Bissessar says while it is “regrettable” that the debate among her Cabinet ministers is being played out in the media her new People’s Partnership government will abide by the law that allows for the death penalty.

The last execution took place here in 1999.

In that year, Anthony Briggs was sent to the gallows for the murder of a taxi driver in 1992.

“We will act according to the rule of law. There is nothing wrong with people having personal views on issues, but at the end of the day it is the collective view that is the important one,” Persad-Bissessar told reporters, adding that the issue has not resulted in “any crack” in her three-month-old administration.

So far this year 360 people have been murdered. In 2009, the figure stood at nearly 600 and as the country continues to witness an escalation in murders, the death penalty debate will continue.