Professor Hamid Ghany: Everyday Policing Not Enough To Tackle Violent Crime
Political Scientist Professor Hamid Ghany says Trinidad and Tobago needs to implement « serious measures » if it hopes to effectively tackle crime and criminality in Trinidad and Tobago.
His comments come following the passage of the Special Operations Bill, 2026, in the Senate on Thursday morning, after Senate President Wade Mark used his casting vote to break a 15-15 deadlock. The Bill was ultimately passed 16-15.
« We have been buzzing around the periphery of the criminality, but it has been seeping deeper and deeper and deeper into the society. We’ve gotten to the stage now where unless you use some kind of serious measure to try to arrest this situation, the rot is going to continue. »
Professor Ghany emphasised that crime has been a persistent problem for many years and continues to be a key concern for citizens and policymakers alike.
« It’s a hot-button issue. Let’s call a spade a spade. Whoever solves the crime problem is going to earn political benefit, and that is something that everybody has had a turn at the wheel, so Mrs Persad-Bissessar is now back at the wheel, but this time around she’s doing it differently to how she did it before. »
The Political Scientist expressed his support for the implementation of these new measures.
« Special measures have to be used to try to address. Everyday policing doesn’t quite cut it. The reality is that for quite some time we have seen the growth and depth of violent criminality in the society. Many persons have theorised in the public domain about the causes; we’ve heard everything from international drug cartels to various types of financing and facilitation and so on. »
The Special Operations Bill establishes seven policing districts across Trinidad and Tobago, creates a framework for police-led special operations, and allows for the declaration of closed areas where curfews and other security measures may be implemented.
