“We have to always be on the alert that we could be the next victim.”

This was the sentiment shared by Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley, as he gave his thoughts on the recent murder of 18 year old Ashanti Riley.

Asked about the case during a press conference on Saturday, Dr. Rowley said he was pained when he heard the news.

“I’m a father to two daughters, I’m an uncle to a number of nieces…cousins.. and when thee news comes to me about somebody experiencing that I physically feel the pain and consider, what would I have done if that were me? Because I too am exposed to that,” the PM said, adding: “We have to always be cognizant of our personal safety.”

Ashanti’s nude body was discovered in shallow waters in La Canoa, Santa Cruz on Friday morning, five days after she went missing.

She was last seen entering a taxi to head to her grandmother’s home located just 10 minutes away.

With the taxi driver of the vehicle being one of two men in police custody at the moment, the Prime Minister expressed concern about the kinds of characters that are able to operate as PH taxi drivers.

“There was a time in this country when you could not operate a motor vehicle for hire unless you were cleared by the State to be a person of good character, your vehicle was so marked and then you were authorized to do that because of the danger involved in any Tom, Dick and Harry operating a motor vehicle and is allowed to pick up people and then you end up with this as the outcome.”’

He further lamented that there is a large number of people operating vehicles unknown to the State’s registry given there is no “real registry.”

Ashanti Riley’s body was found just one day after another missing woman was found dead.

Krsytal Primus-Espinoza, A Mayaro mother of two- was found at a shorefront in Toco on Thursday afternoon.

With both cases reigniting a call for more to be done to protect women in this country, Dr. Rowley was asked whether his government was prepared to introduce measures such as permitting women to carry tasers and pepper spray.

But the Prime Minister says the issue, while pressing, is a complex one that does not have an easy solution.

“It will be available to the criminal, too. And the very threat of being pepper sprayed may make a woman more vulnerable to such a criminal…It becomes harmful to you in the hand of somebody who has made a decision to commit a crime against you.” he said.