A Blight take D police!

Some superstitious believers are saying that it appears that a blight has taken the T&T Police Service recently. Over the past few weeks, a number of police officers have been involved in crashes with police vehicles.

Even Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith recently escaped injury during a car crash involving his convoy in Glencoe, West Trinidad. One of the police vehicles started chasing a driver who was reportedly driving in an erratic manner on the shoulder of the road when it ended up crashing with another vehicle, which struck the CoP’s car, which was in the traffic. For the first time, seven police officers were held in one fell swoop and charged with corruption. They were charged with running an overtime racket in the Traffic and Highway Patrol Unit. There have been several accidents involving police vehicles within the past months. The headlines read Two RAV 4 police vehicles crash with truck in Cunupia; Pedestrian killed by police car on the PBR; Woman killed by ‘speeding” SRP; Police car runs off the road, near Gasparillo; Police motorcyclist hit by car on the PBR; Police Car Stolen in Claxton Bay- were some of the articles of police accidents. Some people are saying that it appears that some of these police drivers are unable to handle those high-speed vehicles. This has prompted CoP Griffith to suspend the two drivers who were involved in the two deadly accidents involving police vehicles. Then there are cases where policemen are also losing their firearms in strange circumstances - one senior officer who is on retirement lost his firearm during a house party. He had placed the gun under his pillow and when he awoke, the gun was gone. Then there was another policeman who recently left his gun in his car and went to a grocery in Arouca and when he returned the gun was missing. Many are hoping that the blight is following new National Security Minister Stuart Young since he starts wearing a look-alike long sleeve sweater like that of IATF officers. People are saying that it is not only a blight has hit the TTPS but even the Tobago sea bridge. Every time the government leases a ferry for the inter-island service there is always a controversy about some crooked deal. For the past two years, the government has not been able to solve the air and sea transportation to the Sister Isle. These were some of the discussions people are having around the country, including rum drinkers like Ramsingh, Balkie, Dougla, Spanner and Sam.

Dougla:

“Barman how come dis place always have ah set ah people drinking rum? Like rum making money these days. Ah feel since dis Rowley government come into power people start to drink more alcohol because it have ah set ah people losing dey wuk.”

Spanner:

“Like some ah dem policemen also under stress when dey driving. How come dey crashing ah set ah dem police cars. It is d fust time ah see so much police vehicles involved in crash and killing people on d road. Like d money blight dat Imbert give d police and d Young fella only blowing ah lot ah hot air how people feeling safer now when just last week it had six murders.”

Barman:

“Well instead of people drinking plenty rum now, dey should save dat money so dey could survive in d these hard times. Allyuh eh realise dat dis country getting harder and harder these days?”

Ramsingh:

“Ah still feel dat when tantie Kamla was in power life was better. We didn’t have to pay high gas prices and plenty poor people get food cards and she move VAT from food items. Yuh know dis government take away food cards from plenty people and put back VAT on food.”

Balkie:

“Yuh eh see Rowley start d election campaign and he and d AG start to talk bout UNC corruption again. Now Rowley talking bout getting people lock up for white collar crime. D AG want some Bill pass for people to say how dey come about dey wealth if dey suspect dey was involved in corruption, guns and drug trafficking”.

Blacks:

“Rowley better be careful dat piece ah legislation doh backfire on dem. Because if it becomes law and d government change, ah number of PNM politicians go have to explain dey wealth. It have plenty MPs in d government who became multi-millionaires overnight. D AG say people believe all politicians are crooks or mooks. Ah hear Kamla say she want to know how d AG buy dem two properties in Port of Spain when all he earn as a small time lawyer was small money.”

Barman:

“Yuh right it have some businessmen who does finance dem political parties involved in money laundering. Ah hear it have some businessmen who selling cloth buying up land all over d country and putting up massive buildings and Malls.”

Ramsingh:

“Ah hear d AG say at ah political meeting in Arouca it have ah man who wearing ah vest and have ah $35,000 gold chain hanging from he neck to he waist while he was taking bout people explaining dey wealth. Ah wonder if dat is d man from Sea Lots dat Marlene McDonald get fired for after he slipped past security and get into President’s House for her swearing in ceremony as ah minister. He does dress just like dat.”

Spanner:

“D AG say he going after dem criminals who get rich but like he eh realise dat some gang members making plenty money from contracts dey get from dem past and present governments. But Rowley say as long as yuh eh have ah criminal record yuh could get ah contract.”

Blacks:

“Yuh know d law is when d police charge yuh dey have to bring d evidence to convict yuh. Yuh know in dis wealth legislation, yuh have to prove how yuh get rich. Is now d other way round, yuh getting hold on suspicion and yuh have to prove yuh case.”

Barman:

“Yuh know there is ah saying that when yuh digging ah hole for ah man yuh fust does go in it. And yuh must also dig one fuh yuhself.”

Sam:

“Dis government passing laws for lawyers to get rich. Because all ah dem people who get case go have to get ah lawyer and it could go all d way to d Privy Council and dat go take years.’

Ramsingh:

“Yuh want to take ah bet dat law bout explaining yuh wealth, not ah white man go get case. Is dem bling, bling black boys with dey expensive gold whey might get case. Dey does call big people who involved in corruption white-collar crime, but no white man does get lock up. So dey should say black-colour crime because is dem black fellas who does get lock up.”

Blacks:

“Ah hear Rowley say how he knows everything dat happens in d country because he is d head of d National Security Council. So, he must know who are the Mr Bigs behind d drug trade and how dey getting protection.”

Balkie:

“Yuh know d Young minister like to run he mouth and say all kinds ah things to make people believe dat he making d country safe. Yuh know at d same PNM meeting in Arouca, d man come and say how much guns dem prison officers go get. Dat should be something highly confidential. Ah hear he also say he want to increase d fine for gun offences. Like he forget dat hanging and life imprisonment is for murder and dat doh stop killings.”

Until next week.