Joint Chamber: Tackling Crime Must Be Number One Priority
MEDIA RELEASE
29/12/2022
Addressing the horrendous crime situation must be the top collective priority for Trinidad & Tobago. As 2022 draws to a close, with a record number of murders, every single citizen is feeling the effects of the crime crisis and many of us are living in fear even within our own homes. Dealing with crime will involve all of society and concerted action from many institutions and individuals, from Parliament to the Cabinet, to the National Security Council, to the Police Service, to the Customs Division, to the Coast Guard, to the Judiciary, to religious leaders, to NGOs and right through to the choices made by private businesses and individual citizens.
As the major representatives of the business community, the Joint Chambers (AMCHAM T&T, the Energy Chamber of Trinidad and Tobago, the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce, and the Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers’ Association) are committed to play whatever role we can to help address the crime situation.
In the past, we have often lobbied for changes to legislation or policies in the hope that this will help law enforcement and the judiciary reduce incidents of crime and improve the detection and conviction rate. Many of our members have supported a large variety of NGOs putting in place social and youth development programmes. We have put in place programmes to strengthen corporate governance and address corruption and other white-collar crimes that in some cases fuel violent crime. Given the current crisis, it is imperative that we all redouble our efforts to fight crime from all angles.
As we enter a new year, we will be intensifying our efforts and we will be reaching out to all stakeholders to find ways that we can constructively help bring the crime situation under control. The Joint Chambers remain committed to working with all stakeholders, including those directly responsible for tackling the crime situation head-on, to resolve the crisis we find ourselves in as a nation. We are firmly convinced that this is the country’s number one priority as we enter into a new year.
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