Another brazen murder-asking questions

The ink was hardly dry on the print of our editorial of last Friday when deadly shots rang out again, in public, defying all our concerns about public safety. Once more the central Kingstown community of Paul’s Lot/Avenue was the unfortunate recipient of yet another sordid murder. This is a community which in spite of repeated criminal acts and an unflattering reputation still hosts the commercial headquarters of our electricity service, the headquarters of the National Lottery Board, a major secondary school, two book stores, two of the three national newspapers in the country, and a major church, not to mention several thriving business enterprises. The community borders on Kingstown’s most important street and the hub of business, the Court House, Prisons, the historic former site of the Parliament and the major Methodist, Anglican and Catholic churches.

Do these mean nothing to us?

Clearly, those who embark on such dastardly acts of murder, have no regard to these matters and certainly none for the safety of the hapless residents, who, time and again have to put up not only with these heinous crimes, but to live with the unenviable reputation deriving from them. In our blanket condemnation of Pauls Lot, we hardly pay attention to these matters and the fallout from being a resident of this community.

As we indicated in last Friday’s editorial, we give every bit of support to the police in carrying out the difficult task of ridding this scourge in our midst, but serious questions must be raised about the continuing blatant disregard for law, order and public safety.

For instance, it was just two to three months ago that there was a public shooting in the same community, interpreted by residents as a failed attempt on the life of the victim of last Friday’s shooting. Additionally, the brother of the said victim was among five persons killed in a most brazen murder in the upper Bay Street area, a year earlier. Yet another resident of the area, a relative of the deceased who was actively involved in football at both the community and national level, was shockingly gunned down as he left the Victoria Park after a football game. What is the connection between these series of events and how come the police seem powerless either to prevent or to prosecute?

There is more, worryingly so. For example, there has been over the past few months a number of murders in the broader environs of the Paul’s Lot community, taking in the areas of Redemption Sharpes, Kingstown Park and the Murray Village area, the heart of our capital city.

Are we powerless to do anything definitive about these?

Are we content to make useless political charges, literally twiddling our thumbs while the figurative Rome burns? The Police recently told us of the existence of gangs here, supposedly armed, given modern circumstances.

There was not much of an explanation beyond that. How do we interpret the never-ending sequence of murders? Are the gangs being permitted to settle scores with extra-judicial killings? What of the “collateral damage” in the process? What of the trauma particularly affecting the young and the aged? What of the continued tarnishing of the reputation of the Paul’s Lot community in the process?

Some years ago, the Police embarked on a strategy of establishing mobile police stations in crime-affected communities, including Paul’s Lot. Are we to assume that the Police consider those areas as “safe” today, or is there some alternative strategy?

We must demand clear explanations from the Prime Minister/Minister of National Security and his government. We have had enough of this serious matter being a political football. Our Parliamentarians are not just there to hurl accusations across the floor and promote partisan interests. This is worthy of cross-party action, a common agreed national approach. We demand no less.