And Still I Rise

According to the World Bank and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime report ‘Crime, Violence and Development : Trends, costs and Policy Options in the Caribbean,’ murder rates in the Caribbean are higher than in any other region of the world, and assault rates are significantly above the world average. Narcotics trafficking is at the core of these high rates. Narcotics trafficking diverts criminal justice resources from other important activities, increases and embeds violence, undermines social cohesion and contributes to the widespread availability of firearms in the region.

Against this backdrop am very interested in what comes out of the Summit on Crime which opens tomorrow in Trinidad. Normally, I do not pay much attention to summits because after all the talk precious little is done. However, the crime rate is spiralling and even my little country like mine which was once safe and peaceful is changing before my very eyes. These days you hear about a murder or some shooting and it's almost as if it doesn't even seem shocking anymore. Sure, we mouth off the platitudes almost as if by rote but for the most part it's business as usual. We are becoming or run the risk of being desensitized to it all.

The news from the other islands is just as grim. I've seen headlines referring to Jamaica as the murder capital of the world, Trinidad riskier than New York and lest we forget the chilling pictures of the Guyana massacres. When I consider how easy it is to get an illegal firearm then I know that somehow, something has to be done.

Over to the leaders to see what they got in the tank. The cynic in me is wishing though that Superman and company were available for hire.