PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) — Opposition Leader Kamla Persad Bissessar Monday criticised the Trinidad and Tobago government over the crime situation in the country and called on Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley to “take decisive, effective action to protect and safeguard our citizens”.

Speaking at a news conference in Port of Spain, Persad Bissessar said that with 52 murders recorded in the first 30 days of the year “Trinidad and Tobago is in a state of crisis”.

She told reporters that criminals were enjoying a free reign in the country and “what is even more frightening is the seemingly deliberate lack of interest by Prime Minister Rowley, and his Cabinet, in addressing this state of chaos.

“It is truly appalling that the Prime Minister chose to address the country’s collective pain and desperation via a press release on Saturday, which, instead of seeking to comfort citizens by outlining measures taken to combat this state of terror, merely acknowledged what all already knew—that the crime levels are ‘heinous and traumatic’.”

Over the last weekend, Rowley urged young people to move away from a life of crime acknowledging that while crime has been, for some time, one of the most, if not the most critical issues facing Trinidad and Tobago, “the particularly heinous murders over the recent weeks have been nothing short of traumatising for the entire nation.

“The loss of life through violent and unlawful means is wholly unacceptable. In recent weeks we have seen teenaged school girls being abducted and their young lives brutally snuffed out. Women continue to die through violent means. We are witnessing scenes where bodies are being dismembered and humiliated for display.”

Rowley said that every murder is considered objectionable by his government but the especially abhorrent types of murders occurring in recent weeks have brought an acute sense of terror and trauma to citizens.

“It is the unwavering commitment of Government, to provide national law enforcement with what is required to do all that is humanly possible, under the ambit of the law, to find the perpetrators and swiftly bring them to justice.

“Government sincerely sympathises with all who have lost loved ones to murder and while we share the pain inflicted on the national community by those who engage in violent conduct we continue in our sustained efforts to bring the perpetrators justice.”

But Persad Bissessar, whose government had instituted a state of emergency in dealing with the crime situation soon after it came to office in 2010, said Rowley’s decision to issue a statement “is insulting and unacceptable to the citizens of our country who have placed their trust in the Government to uphold the Constitution and guarantee them their fundamental right to safety and security.

“Such a weak, afterthought of a press release amid one of the most terrifying times in our nation’s history also speaks of leadership that is lacking in humanity and clearly denotes that the Rowley-led PNM administration is not only impotent in the fight against crime, but seemingly lacks any genuine ability or desire to combat it on behalf of the citizens.”

Persad Bissessar said she was calling on the government “to immediately convene an extraordinary session of Parliament to debate the unacceptable crime situation, with the specific aim of informing the public of their immediate plans and strategies, the measures it intends to utilise to ensure an immediate short term reduction of the murder, kidnapping, rape and assault rates.

“One of the key issues that needs to be immediately discussed is the overwhelming call by citizens to be to be able to defend themselves against aggressive criminal elements.

Our citizens are under attack. They are defenseless and helpless. Their cries must be heard. The State has failed to protect them and keep them safe,” she said, adding that “it is the view of the Opposition that existing legal and administrative systems and procedures need to be streamlined so that the balance can be tipped in favour of law-abiding citizens legitimately acquiring firearms to protect their homes and families.

“People have a right to be able to defend themselves and their loved ones in the face of the State’s demonstrated inability to guarantee their safety and protection,’ she said, adding that the “time has come for us to also consider allowing women the right to legally carry and use pepper spray and Tasers to defend themselves.

“We cannot expect different results if we continue to do things the same way,’ Persad Bissessar told reporters.