Trinidad and Tobago is currently experiencing a crisis of great proportions.

Being a Caribbean nation basking in bright sunshine and beautiful beaches and wonderful weather all year round it has to be a tremendous blow to all its people and indeed the economy to be declared one of the ten top unfriendly countries to tourists. While other Caribbean countries are doing all within their power to lure foreigners and bring in foreign cash we are doing the opposite.

And the politics of the country is doing nothing else but exacerbating the problem. The Government continues to make missteps and the opposition, like a bunch of jokers, are focused on who buys a Rolls Royce, which Government minister builds a house, which minister's son is arrested for whatever offence and which high official has friends in Tunapuna. All this instead of the salient issues of saving the innocent from nefarious criminal activities, improving health and education and helping the aged and infirm.

Discussions are centring around making soldiers police officers but will soldiers be able to handle the cumbersome paperwork which court procedures demand? Already because of police incompetence in handling paperwork many a criminal is let off the hook, all because some smart lawyer "tie up the police foot''.

According to Lennox Grant in his Sunday Express column of March 17, "Police research figures reported at a UWI conference last week, suggests that the killers of 1,951 people are walking free, and fearless of capture, and likely killing again''.

I have had the opportunity to see a ticket made out by a police officer in which he spelt "magistrate'' as "magistate''.

It seems that the profession attracts mainly school dropouts and those who cannot fit in elsewhere. Are the soldiers going to be the same or worse?

WKS Hosein

Chaguanas