DEAR EDITOR: Making the headline news for the past five years is the crime situation in our nation.

Recently, the Government of the day announced as one of its measures to combat the crime situation, the implementation of all the laws of the land, including the Death Penalty. Let me take this opportunity to congratulate the Government on the stand taken to implement all the laws of the land as they exist at present.

We can have the best of plans, if, however, the laws are not implemented all our efforts will be fruitless. We can have 200 new recruits in the police service, five new police stations, two new helicopters, and one hundred new vehicles. While these are necessary they will all come to nought if we do not examine what are the real causes of crime as it is today, and do something about it.

In looking closely at the cause of crime, it raises the question, “Who is responsible or who is the Law Enforcement Agency in our country?” Is it not the police who is the Law Enforcement Agency in our country?

So that if we have a serious crime situation as we have, no doubt, then, there is a saying, that if you are not part of the solution, then you are part of the problem.

In all walks of life, we have good and evil existing side by side. We have good teachers and we have bad teachers. We have good doctors and bad doctors. We have good priests and bad priests.

The Police Service must now take a page from the Catholic Church and start getting rid of the criminal elements within the Police Service. Until this is done, crime will always be a major issue in Trinidad and Tobago.

Hanging will not help solve the crime situation. Hanging, like abortion, is contrary to the laws of God. “Thou shall not kill.” Render unto Caesar, the things that are of Caesar, to God the things that are of God.

The murderer, when caught, is no longer a threat to society. The only time one is entitled to take another's life is in the act of self- defence. When the state takes a human life, it is just setting an example for murderers to follow. Violence begets violence.

The hanging law, while it exists, must be carried out by the state; however, the law then must be amended to abolish the death penalty. Love begets love!

The state must now ensure that the Police, the law enforcement agency in the country, act now to get rid of all the illegal activities taking place all across the country. Littering, the major cause of flooding in the city must stop now. PH taxi drivers, illegal Whe Whe (Government is losing millions of dollars each time the game is played) MUST STOP NOW.

The Commissioner of Police must now call a meeting with his senior cops – they must heed the call of the government to implement all the laws of the land or resign.

MAY GOD BLESS OUR NATION.

Godfrey Lee Sing, Moruga

Dear Editor, It's more than passing strange that within less than a month after the passing of Sr. Marie Joseph, the first principal of St. Dominic's School, that the institution has been unavoidably closed.

From the story of Sr. Marie Joseph, it would appear that her strict disciplinary measures and her good organizational skills served her in good stead in the early years of the school. The recent happenings at the school, however, seem to say that her efforts were in vain.

Notice that I said “seem to say” because from talking to past students, over the years St. Dominic's did produce good upstanding citizens and the school was held in high esteem by parents who chose to send their daughters there.

It's sad nevertheless to see the closure of St. Dominic's Convent School at this juncture because of financial constraints. The even sadder part is how it was done.

Remember it is not always what you do but how you do it that makes the difference. It is almost unimaginable how parents felt getting a letter the very last day of the term saying that their daughter has to be relocated in the new term; and this without any prior warning or notification. According to one very irate parent that showed gross disrespect for parents, students and teachers.

I'm left to wonder how the late Sr. Marie Joseph with her self-assured vivacious, well -organized self would have handled the seeming mismanagement of her “challenge” which began 47 years ago.

Lynette Rodriguez