Enterprise Imam Morland Muakyil Abdullah yesterday slammed Friday’s walkabout by the Minister of National Security, Edmund Dillon saying that he strongly believes that it was political and not a genuine attempt to assist the community and bring relief with regards to crime and criminal activities.
Speaking with the T&T Guardian yesterday, Abdullah also knocked the way in which the walkabout was “poorly organised.”
“Imagine very early Friday morning while I was in my bathroom bathing I received a message that Dillon and his team was going to have a walkabout. I took no note of it because to me it sounded like something last minute. No previous announcements were made and no formal invitations and flyers distributed,” Abdullah said.
Abdullah in many times before called for closed door meetings with the Minister of National Security and to date none has been called.
“I think if real care is given priority would be given by Minister Dillon to meet with the Imams in the area to sit and have a deep session so that the ills can really be trashed out and something done to help the area and bring relief to residents,” the Imam said.
He also said that he was giving the new head of the Central Division, Sr Supt Floris Hodge-Griffith to settle into office before he attempts to seek an audience with her.
‘Pappyshow’
Another religious leader in the area, who wished not to be identified called Friday’s walkabout a “pappyshow.”
“I do not know who these politicians and senior law enforcement officers are trying to fool. A walkabout now and then would clearly do no good for the area. They have to meet with us, the leaders, who know the people of the area and sit and discuss private and confidentially what is happening and why it is happening. Walkabouts do nothing and will not ever do anything,” the religious leader said.
A senior resident in the community, identified only as Errol, said he would appreciate if the police could set up a mobile police unit in the area so that they can be very visible in the community.
Errol also called for continuous joint army and police patrols in the area.
Friday’s walkabout came one day after Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley called on the police to do more to improve the detection rate. National Security Minister Edmund Dillon read the riot act to divisional heads, calling on them to take charge of their “real estate.”
Speaking with the media at Railway Road before he began his walkabout, Dillon said the aim of the walkabout was to empower the divisional commanders, beginning with the Central Division, to take charge of their “real estate.”
He said each divisional commander must have an idea of what is going on in their division and if each commander took charge of their division, then the crime throughout T&T would decrease.