100 MURDERS IN 85 DAYS: T&T POLICE CANNOT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PORT OF SPAIN 000406 SIPDIS SIPDIS SENSITIVE DEPT FOR WHA/CAR, INL/LP E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV KCRM SNAR TD SUBJECT: 100 MURDERS IN 85 DAYS: T&T POLICE CANNOT KEEP UP -------------- MARCH 2006: 42 MURDERS IN 26 DAYS -------------- ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: One hundred murders have been committed in Trinidad and Tobago in the first 85 days of 2006. Police officers attribute the problem to a combination of guns, drugs and gangs. Additionally, a track record of police incompetence and fears of repercussions keep civilians from working with the police force, further exacerbating the problem. The Government has turned to foreign law enforcement consultants and technology as local law enforcers seem overwhelmed by the upsurge in crime and may benefit from basic training in police work. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (U) March 2006 is officially the "bloodiest month on record" in Trinidad and Tobago with 42 murders in 26 days, pushing the murder toll to 100 in only 85 days. If murders continue at this rate, at least 430 Trinbagonians will be murdered by the end of the year, compared to 384 in 2005, which holds the murder record for any one year. T&T law enforcement officials continue to meet to develop strategies for catching and prosecuting the criminals, especially in light of intense media coverage. ¶3. (U) Largely, the murders are confined to certain neighborhoods around Port of Spain: Laventille, Morvant and Diego Martin. Since colonial times, Laventille, just to the east and north of Port of Spain, has been a center of rebellion that generally makes its own rules and is a perpetual source of crime. Morvant, contiguous to Laventille, also has a higher than average concentration of crime. Now, the murders are spreading to Diego Martin (west and north of Port of Spain),which is a more upscale neighborhood. It seems that criminals are migrating into Diego Martin to hide out, but that their rivals still track them down. -------------- GUNS, GANGS AND DRUGS -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) for Operations, Winston Cooper, points to the trio of guns, gangs and drugs as the root cause of the high murder rate. ACP Cooper speculates that many of the murders are essentially retaliation and jockeying for position after a gang leader gets killed. He asserts that the government's controversial Unemployment Relief Program (URP) funds drug purchases by providing otherwise unemployed persons with salaries for 10-day shifts doing public works. Further, ACP Cooper suspects some of the murders occur because of "employment turf wars," or fights over who works where for whom, casting suspicion on URP foremen and work group leaders. A higher-than-average proportion of murder victims had some affiliation with the URP. ¶5. (SBU) The third point of this deadly triangle, the guns, is the most slippery. ACP Cooper speculates that the guns are smuggled in via nearby Venezuela. Trinidad's numerous small bays and coves provide excellent cover for criminals who wish to import contraband into the country. It is widely believed that the gun trade comes along with the narcotics trafficking; the country is flush with small arms. -------------- POLICE MISTRUSTED, CANNOT KEEP UP -------------- ¶6. (U) Many Trinbagonians distrust the police. Some fear retaliation if they call the police to report a crime. The police force has a history of being non- responsive to calls for assistance and a reputation for being on the take. Although it seems to be a positive sign, many Trinbagonians point to the number of police being brought up on charges for criminal activity as reason not to trust them. Additionally, the police career is widely seen as a "fall back" career, one that nearly nobody enters as a first choice. As such, the force is perceived to lack a certain professionalism. Since people do not trust the police force, they do not report crimes to them. This hampers investigations, especially since most criminal cases are prosecuted based on eyewitness testimony; Trinbagonian PORT OF SP 00000406 002 OF 002 jurisprudence makes it difficult to introduce other forms of evidence, such as DNA or wiretapped evidence. ¶7. (SBU) ACP Cooper and other law enforcement agents argue that they are doing their best, but need support from the community. They also point to the need for more up-to-date training and better equipment. Deputy Commissioner of Police Glen Roach has mentioned public relations training so that the police force can burnish its image and regain the public's trust. -------------- COMMENT: TECHNOLOGY OR BASIC TRAINING? -------------- ¶8. (SBU) COMMENT: Most Trinbagonians now speculate not about if, but when the next murder will happen. The public perception of the police force is part of the problem. Reformers at the top receive no credit for their work, and without support cannot make changes fast enough to stem the rising criminal tide. This feeds a cycle in which the police force cannot keep up with the criminals, a culture of impunity perpetuates, and the population gets more and more disillusioned with the police. The Government of Trinidad and Tobago has turned to technology and outside consultants to bolster the police force and law enforcement agencies, which seem to be overwhelmed by the upsurge in crime. It seems that so far, equal weight has not been put on providing basic training in police work. We are attempting to rectify with our meager law enforcement and counter narcotics assistance by providing training opportunities, including establishing a self-sustaining canine training academy and basic crime scene investigation and anti-kidnapping training as well as conducting joint exercises with counter narcotics agencies. END COMMENT. AUSTIN