Three murders for the weekend and 55 murders year to date cannot be brushed aside by repeating that “statistics are down.”
Crime is not experienced as a spreadsheet , it is experienced through sirens at all hours, fear in communities, and constant reports of violence.
When authorities lean heavily on selective data, it creates the perception that someone is managing optics rather than confronting reality, which only deepens public distrust.
The constant wail of sirens, even during the Lenten season, traditionally a period of reflection and calm, is itself evidence of a society under strain.
Every day seems to bring another incident, another emergency response, another reminder that law abiding citizens are paying the psychological cost of insecurity.
Until the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service and policymakers openly acknowledge the persistent flow of crime, beyond headline statistics, claims of improvement will ring hollow.
Peace is not declared, it is felt, and right now, the country is not feeling it.
Gordon Laughlin
Westmoorings
