Acknowledging the cries for help from the Enterprise, Chaguanas community, for peace to once again be restored in the area, acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams yesterday pledged to work alongside community and religious leaders to restore law and order.
Making the vow during the early-morning peace walk hosted by the Inter Religious Organisation (IRO) at Enterprise, Williams echoed the sentiments of previous speakers as he said the police were willing to join hands with anyone “to work towards getting the community back to where it has been in the past.”
Clad in plain clothes, Williams was among several other prominent political and religious leaders who gathered at Esmeralda Recreation Ground, Enterprise, from as early as 6 am to participate in the walk. He was joined by Transport Minister Stephen Cadiz, who is also the Chaguanas East MP and Planning and Development Minister Dr Bhoe Tewarie, who resides at Chin Chin Road, Cunupia.
Expressing his gratitude to the IRO for the forward-thinking initiative, Williams said, “The Enterprise community has been crying out for help and it is important for the people of T&T to rally to that call.”
Revealing that the T&T Police Service was up to the challenge of restoring peace, tranquility, comfort and safety to the area, which recently began experiencing an upsurge in violent and gun-related crime, Williams said they would work with any entity to tackle issues negatively affecting communities.
Calling on the residents to “look into themselves and recognise they are also a major part in the way forward if they want to have sustainable peace in the community,” Williams said he was heartened to see those who braved the rains to make their presence felt. Tewarie, who came out to support the venture because he lives in the area, endorsed the call by the IRO for positive changes in the community.
Referring to the peace walk, he said, “It can have a positive effect in the Enterprise community to bring about peace.” A former representative for Caroni East, Tewarie admitted, “We were always peaceful before and although we have had some skirmishes, you never had this kind of escalation of confrontation.
“I do not want to see Enterprise get to the point where people start drawing lines about where you can go and can’t go, as they have done in East PoS. We have to keep this community peaceful.” Cadiz also expressed his support for the initiative, which he labelled “wonderful.” “I keep saying that throughout T&T, to deal with issues like what is happening in Enterprise, it is not only policing that is needed but the community itself has to come together to make it happen.
“Yes, the police have a major part to play, because you are dealing with lawbreakers and guns, but the community has to come together and find ways to deal with it and this peace walk is only one of those initiatives that will work very well.” Despite the rain and small turnout by residents, IRO head Brother Harrypersad Maharaj declared it a resounding success.
Urging residents to reflect internally, Maharaj said people had to once again cultivate their inner qualities of purity, innocence and love for fellowmen in order to facilitate and promote peace within the community.