Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar has dismissed the Prime Minister’s most recent comments on crime as “fake outrage”, renewing a call for government to meet with members of the Opposition and other stakeholders to curb the prevalence of violent crime. 

Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley chaired a high-level national security meeting on Tuesday, which included Police Commissioner Erla Christopher, National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds and Attorney General Reginald Armour.

The meeting came hours after Dr. Rowley issued a strongly worded statement on Tuesday morning, vowing to hunt down perpetrators of crime as he said the situation facing the country had now gone from concerning to ridiculous.

“Citizens are under siege; nowhere is safe. They are murdered and robbed in broad daylight; they are prisoners in their homes; they are preyed upon and terrorized by violent criminals. The prime minister today indicated that the ‘wanton disregard for human life in Trinidad and Tobago has now gone beyond concerning to the ridiculous.’ In the view of many citizens, the crime crisis in Trinidad and Tobago has been ridiculous for the past eight years,” Persad-Bissessar said in a statement on Tuesday afternoon.

With bipartisan crime talks still yet to take place between the two leaders as had been sought out by PM Rowley in September, Persad-Bissessar restated her willingness to attend the discussions.

“Accepting help in the anti-crime fight should not be viewed as a weakness; humility and cooperativeness are signs of confidence and strength,” she said.