Praying for Good


The Acting Police Commissioner has assessed the crime situation in Trinidad and Tobago and feels the best, or possibly only solution is God. I could only imagine how the Prime Minister and Minister of National Security must have recoiled when they heard this assessment by the enlightened Crime Specialist. One hundred and one things must have flooded their minds such as:

Should we train Police Officers in the art of prayer?

Should criminals also be taught how hear the prayer and then yield to It?

Can we seek an audience with the God and if He does give us an audience will he accept TT$ for an intervention.

Who is God’s local agent and how much commission does he take?

Why does God allow good people to be murdered and bad ones to hold public office?

Should we pray for God to do the right thing; doesn’t He already know?

Is it that God is sleeping while Port of Spain burns?

Is He really a Trini?

Can He provide written and verifiable testimonials from happy customers as the country cannot afford to throw scarce tax dollars on pies in the sky?

On the bright side of all this was the correct statement by the Prime Minister that he cannot put a policeman in every bedroom because that would incur a high wage bill due to overtime, I assume. The Prime Minister quite rightly observed that women should choose their man or men with care. He was unfairly condemned for this but his main failing was to point out how to do so. The Prime Minister should have also said that there are so few good men around and that these few good men should be shared among the many good and fit women.  The Prime Minister should have used the opportunity to reveal that the Government was compiling a list of the good men for all women, good and bad, to choose wisely from.

Murder in Trinidad and Tobago – a review


Murderer in Trinidad and Tobago seems quite common with over one killing happening every day. It is reported that every year about 28 people are murdered per 100,000. Exactly how many murderers there are in that group of 100,000 is still unknown to the police. The actual number of murdered victims is likely to be more as the people reported missing, and also those that are missing but not missed, cannot be included in the final tally of victims.

I have said in the past that there are hardly any murders where the crime was not planned. Yes, there might be an opportunistic murder say during a high resistance robbery or in the heat of an argument where the one with the poorer argument also has access to a gun, pointy knife or cutlass under his car seat. All other murders are planned and a large percentage have their roots in the drug trade and their money laundering spin-offs. The quest for money and all the land and women it can buy is the root of many murders.

As murder is now a well-developed skill set of criminals it seems murderers for hire aka assassins are easier to come by. It now seems that a highly aggrieved and vengeful individual can, for a less than a tidy sum, hire an assassin to send a message, or even eliminate the competition. The good thing about murderers in Trinidad and Tobago is that very few of them are caught so the assassin trade looks like a very promising career. This is not something I encourage but I can hardly avoid observing. Show me a murderer in Trinidad and Tobago and I will show you a free man.