ROWLEY STANDS HIS GROUND ON ANTI-CRIME LAW

THE Government is not interested in discussing the Opposition-proposed Stand Your Ground laws.

That is clear from the latest letter from Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley to Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar on impending crime talks.

Ms. Persad-Bissessar has been advancing such laws because, as she stated during the Budget debate: “If the Government cannot protect the people, it should give the people the laws and means to protect themselves.”

The Prime Minister’s two-page letter to the Opposition Leader does not include Stand Your Ground legislation, and during the Budget debate, he criticised Ms. Persad-Bissessar’s proposal.

Ms. Persad-Bissessar has been publicly advocating the law as a measure to fight home invasions.

Instead, Rowley’s recommended list of measures include laws on firearms, bail, anti-gang, interception of communications, cybercrime, administration of justice, and amendments to the Evidence Act.

He also wants discussions on the whistleblower legislation, private security, polygraph tests, amendments to the Evidence Act, and raising the retirement age for members of the Defence Force.

With respect to the retirement age, he said: “We are currently looking at this and the financial implications.”

In her contribution to the Budget debate, Ms. Persad-Bissessar called for increasing the retirement age “to align it with other arms of the protective services.”

She presented 27 recommendations on crime-fighting.

They embrace new and revised legislation, policy changes and operational improvements.

The Opposition Leader wants the creation of home invasions as an offence, increasing the complement of municipal police officers, and placing lawmen full-time at schools.

She is recommending separate ministries of home affairs, defence and justice.

She is also advocating a review of the relevant law on marijuana use, use of ankle bracelets and house arrests, a new forensic science centre, revamping of the witness protection programme, and enforcing drug and liquor laws about minors.

Further, Ms. Persad-Bissessar is proposing State support for children of jailed parents and a fund for those who lost one or both parents to crime.

There should be a short-term assessment of the scale of involvement of illegal immigrants in crime.

No date has been set for the start of such talks.