Episode Transcript
[00:00:01] Speaker A: The best insight, instant feedback, accountability. The all new talk radio Freedom 106.5. As I said to you, we do have another interview at this point in time, a story on page a eight of the Guardian newspaper bandit killed by cops after gas station robbery, crime or threats to 24 hours operations. Joining us now to speak a bit on the crime situation and how it's impacting on service stations and their ability to conduct the business 24/7 president elect of the Owner dealers association rival Chatagoon. Good morning to you. Welcome back to our program.
[00:00:37] Speaker B: Good morning Satish. Thank you for having me. Good morning to your listeners.
[00:00:41] Speaker A: It's the, I prefer to say that it's the most topical issue in the country and that's the issue of crime.
It affects all of us one way or the other. And we see that there are some entities that are directly impacted by the crime situation. And now with this latest incident that took place at this gas station, we have the obvious concern being raised by the Owner dealers association. Let's begin by telling us what's the situation with the crime and the 24 hours operations and how is it being impacted.
[00:01:21] Speaker B: All right. So first and foremost, we need to understand what is a gas station in terms of who are we dependent on.
Prime in this country have been impacted businesses for probably as long as you know because on our release it showed that prime statistics is in about 30 something a day since 2013. And unfortunately it is the same as last year over today. Right. Unfortunately is that the detection rate is so poor, but based on HTTPs website they have a detection rate of 20 something percent. I don't know if it's accurate or is it that we're not feeling it or is it that it's not bearing fruit, but how does it relate to gas station? The gas station is dependent on people coming to take gas because that's how we make the money based on volume, commissions per liter.
If the gas stations right now, as is right now, citizens feel a sense of curfew, a sense of disorient when they come out or they really don't want to come out, who are we supplying fuel to? Yes, the gas stations has been somewhat of a target this year and fortunately I actually did this release before knowing of the Charlieville incident. And since then, my membership of just 18, four already reported that they had issues. This now will be five that we know of. But if you do a research, you'll see for this year is probably about 20. But while 20 might seem insignificant in terms of gas stations, this fight really is not only for gas station but for our customers, for citizens who of Trinidad, who naturally will feel safe to go out and spending money in the night, whether it be through restaurants or vendors or so, because they, they use us as well.
[00:03:20] Speaker A: Yeah, it's a worrisome situation because we live in a society where there are people who work day and night and there are people who are around day and night. So the 24 hours gas station service is a valuable one.
It's a valuable one for the obvious reason, because there's always someone who wants something at some point in time and having access to it 24/7 is convenient. We get that. But what can be done? You're saying that there are about 20 incidents involving gas stations since the beginning of the year. That to me seems like a lot.
But what can be done or what is being done?
[00:04:06] Speaker B: Quite frankly, I don't want to say nothing is being done, but let's just say the citizens of this country don't feel as though if anything has been done, we don't feel the natural effect of any crime plan or any crime thing. So what we did is to have a few low lying foods. Right. One of the things are you, as you would know, that there have been allegations of blue light spilling over people who were essentially bandits and so on. We are actually in commissioner or somebody from the office, the guide population in terms of what should happen when being pulled over. It is my understanding, Zulia, Mark, tweek that is subject to be corrected. The next one is that there have been precedents that over the years different interagency are working together. Now, TTP's have always said that the resources was always the issue, whether it be human or fixed assets, right? But if we have, for argument's sake, let's just say 5000 resources in ttps, but the army has a 5000 coast guard, about 5000. The air got above 5000 and that 5000 just went up to 20,000.
When you look at the independence parade and see so many divisions of national security and that show of force, that is what the country needs right now. Because if we see we don't get crime under control, this will have long standing effects. Okay, so we will say gas stations will close, right? We'll say that other businesses who have nightlife will close, will say people cannot come out. But there's also what is the tax implement? How would this impact the taxation? Government need taxation to survive as is right now, businesses are very much cautious. Some may say absolutely not. Some may say that they're afraid in terms of investing in this country, whether to grow their business or additional investment. There are many entrepreneurs right now that I've had conversations would say, Mister Chadagun, I really think in twice of doing this because I freed the crime situation of the country. Then you have the foreign investors saying that hey, we not coming to invest in all the country until they get on lockdown. So this crime, while I brought it up as the owner dealer, really is for the entire country to. To be aware and for hope that something is being done. There's my humble view. It's a management issue in terms of managing all the resources. I know that there are many good men and women in all the agency and we have to rely on the intelligence, but just the will to do so. I think that is where we need to really take this country to get it done. Because we cannot wait in my humble Ufi election to hope that somebody has come in office. And I know we have a problem now.
Those two kids that was hacked to death. Come on. 1516 year old the lady in Arima was raped. This may not be gas station issue, but these are our customers. These are our customers, neighbors and so on who want to come out and take. Shouldn't Trinidad and Tobago Satish after 62 years of independence, being a third world for so long attempted to become first world?
Invite tourists from all over who's happy to come here. Shouldn't we be able to say that all businesses can open 24 hours without the fear of criminal elements or even shoppers to walk the street and go about their business as normal without the fear of criminals? That is what.
[00:08:04] Speaker A: No, I. Trust me, I understand fully what you're saying. And I lament that all the time that we are not holding the persons in office. It just so happens that it's the PNM. But we are not holding the people in office to task and ensuring that they get the job done? That's one of the biggest problems because we're always getting an excuse as to why they can't get it done or why they say working or why the next is not working. When I want to hear, well, okay, we have these challenges, but we've found a way.
And the crackdown that is required on criminals, we're not getting. And people are making all kinds of suggestions as to why that crackdown is not taking place. Are you having discussions with the authorities, the commissioner or anybody else on that.
[00:08:49] Speaker B: Level at this point in time? No. You remember that this organization, one of dealers, right. Is only a month old now. So this is the first. I may always have been vocal in terms of security over the years, more notably the ful situation, prior to Larry's Griffith tenure, we were taking the government to court for our members.
My intention is to have this meeting once they're willing to meet. But, you know, unfortunately in this country, when you write to an office holder, if you do get a response that those meetings usually take five to five weeks or five months, I don't think we have that. So if it means that we have to come to media to highlight solutions, that is exactly what we're going to do, because we need to fix this. Now.
Is my experience all of the same, just a different side of the coin?
[00:09:50] Speaker A: Yeah. How. How real is the possibility of service stations ending this 24 hours service?
[00:10:00] Speaker B: So there's two sides of that story, right? It all hinges on the progression or the lack of progression of crime or the progression of crime prevention.
Let's just say for one thing, for one part of it is that the crime is so bad and they are attacking gas stations, which really do make sense seeing that 80% is cashless. Right. But we just said that is the case and the stations close the other side of it. Station remain open, but the customers don't feel safe to come out. So who you opening to?
And those are the two sides of the story that it will have to take. It all hinges in terms of how fast the crime, crime statistics fall or how fast the aggression from the different levels of national security go on this crime to tell these criminals that 50,000 of oil will not have 1.4 million people at ransom for no, for no more time, I hope.
This is very ambitious for me, that somebody comes on a tv or broadcast and say, listen, fellas, well, you have one week to clean up while I put down your guns, or we're going to come forward. And it may not be to face the court, it may be some other way. Because this is what society now, these are victims of crimes who are crying that they want justice. These are people who cannot go out even outside to put their own garbage without fear that they live in. I think the 98% of the citizenry of this country want to see that sort of direct aggression towards the criminal elements. Of course we know that it has to be with any ramifications of the law. Of course, we're not saying to go as a headhunter and just start to kill people. Yeah, we're not saying that.
[00:11:54] Speaker A: Yeah.
It's a worrying situation because it's another indicator of how we're losing the fight against the criminals.
That's something that some people don't like to hear you say because they absolutely.
[00:12:11] Speaker B: But we need to understand what is the criminal attendance, right. If we can, we have to understand what is the psyche in Trinidad and Tobago. First and foremost you had to put out all the criminal books outside of. Because the criminal books on criminology will tell us lack of opportunities, poverty, etc. Etc. Etc. Right?
Crime in Trinidad is vice full stop. It is these young teenagers, not adults, teenagers going to do crime to talk about it amongst themselves, amongst their cohorts, right? And they could get away with it.
Lack of opportunities. Every single ministry of this country in many, many years have gone, have hundreds of different programs, whether it be ministry of Youth, Ministry of Sport, Social Development, Education, Agriculture, in terms of better in this life. And some of them even offer stipends. So you have people who really trying and those are the ones who may not commit crime and then you have the crime people who just want to do it because advice they could get it done. Just as how ttps know where to go and put the radar gun and where to have the full hundred full day of policing and stuff, right? Why can't they use the same sort of technology and information to go towards the known criminals?
[00:13:46] Speaker A: Well, you and I may not be able to answer those questions because I asked these very same questions all the time.
What can the public expect?
Let's. Because as we come to the end of our interview this morning, I think that's what people are going to want to know. So these crime situations bad. You've suggested in your release that there be more patrols and all these kinds of things, and you're not the first person to make those suggestions and I'm sure you're not going to be the last.
And it seems as though, even though we had this national Security Council meeting yesterday and the police are giving all these assurances, people and business owners like yourself are not too convinced that things are going to change so realistically in the near future. Do you think we're going to have any better results when it comes to crime fighting?
And will some of these issues really be addressed?
[00:14:43] Speaker B: That I don't have that crystal ball satish. But I will say this.
Whether you're from Arima, whether you're from Icarus, whether you're uNc, NTA, PNN is irrelevant. As citizens of this country, we are all hopeful that somebody gets hold of bull body horn and get this crime under control. There are a lot of low lying flutes. We are saying natural aggression. Consider it as war. The criminals have cast war against the law abiding citizens of this country. And now it is time for the Ministry of National Security to reciprocate in that same said war mentality to get this, to win this war, to get it over with. Otherwise there's not only gas stations. If this continue, based on this, I will say probably the next ten years, if not sooner, that 24 hours and evening nightlife would be a thing of the past. Now, in our membership, that nightlife, that ten to six shift, you're doing 60% of what you used to do ten years ago, you know, and of course have so many more cars. So then you realize that it is there. And I'm sure if you talk to any other business owner that have a 24 hours business or night thing, they will probably say the same, that what their sales used to be, the vendors on the side of the road, the punch man, the power man, they're not the doubles man, any night, not doing the sort of business that they used to do 10, 10, 15 years ago.
And it's all because of prime.
[00:16:16] Speaker A: Definitely. And this is where we end our conversation. But we, I'm sure that we'll have more moving forward as we, as a nation try to grapple with this thing called crime and the impact that it's having on each and every one of us. Thank you for being with us here this morning.
[00:16:30] Speaker B: Thank you so much for having me.
[00:16:31] Speaker A: And then, of course, ladies and gentlemen, how we end our interview here this morning.
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