NATIONAL Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds cut a frustrated, angry figure during a press conference on Tuesday, complaining to journalists that his ministry and the government's fight against crime continues to be thwarted due to a wide a varied number of reasons.
His spoke at his office on Abercromby Street in Port of Spain, a day after a quadruple murder incident which began near a school in Gonzales - where one man was shot dead - and ended at the Port of Spain General Hospital where three men who were initially wounded in the Gonzales incident, were gunned down by the same Gonzales gunmen.
Hinds said he wanted to account to the nation on the many obstacles the government was facing in dealing with crime.
Among the obstacles was the use of challenges against the Constitution which often hindered the crime-fighting progress. He then cited cases where legal loopholes and delay tactics were used not only to thwart the state's efforts to fight crime, but to made such efforts more difficult to carry out.
He said fighting crime requires sustained efforts from all sectors of society and is not a quick fix. "It's not a light switch," Hinds declared.
He said lawyers were using certain sections of the Constitution, such as sections 4 and 5 - which deals with enshrined rights such as liberty, freedom of movement, freedom of the press, freedom of activity, and freedom of worship - to thwart the state's crime-fighting efforts.
Hinds said Section 5 dealt with matters pertaining to bail, the right to be heard, and the right to having an attorney.
He said Section 13 allows for laws that may be inconsistent with Sections 4and 5, provided they are reasonably justifiable in a society that respects individual rights and freedoms.
Hinds stressed that Section 13 gave rise to numerous legal challenges. As an example, he said that recently, on the advice of Cabinet, he used the Police Service Act to extend the tenure of the Commissioner of Police by one year. When this was done, a "prominent lawyer" challenged this extension, claiming it was inconsistent with Section 13. The courts later ruled in the state's favour.
Hinds said delay tactics were seen when legal challenges move all the way from the local courts right up to the Privy Council in England.
CRIMINALS HAVE
THE ADVANTAGE
"Despite good intentions and laws, criminals seem to have an advantage over the criminal justice system. They display no fear or respect for the law, creating an impression of lawlessness in society," Hinds declared.
He questioned what might have occurred had Sunday's shooting happened during school hours or in another part of the PoSGH which had a higher presence of patients and hospital staff.
"They continued their action at a public institution (hospital) which is supposed to be a safe haven, a place for healing, a place for peace and comfort, where members of society, nurses, doctors, attendants, staff, and visitors are dealing with issues."
Hinds described the weapons used in recent shootings as illegal automatic, mi
