Post Colonial Moment: Crime out of control in Trinidad

Violent crime has gotten so out of control on the Caribbean island of Trinidad that prime minister Patrick Manning is asking both the UK and the US to send in police to control the situation. This comes after a complaint letter signed by 400 Trinidadian businesses was published in a local newspaper, blaming the prime minister for not having a proper plan to curb violence.

The surge in crime is blamed on illegal drug trade with is creating a criminal elite with enough resources to corrupt public institutions. In turn the profits from drug trafficking is used to purchase weapons which are being used by gangs.

The prime minister also said criminals deported back to the Caribbean island from the UK, the US and Canada contributed to the crime problem.

Police say more people have been murdered in the first nine months of this year than in the whole of 2004.

We would have hoped, taking in consideration the deterioration of crime, [for] a more decisive and immediate plan for tackling crime," Christian Mouttet, president of the Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce, was quoted as saying.