News Releases

UWI Presents Crime Symposium: Crafting Solutions for Trinidad and Tobago's Safety

For Release Upon Receipt - March 20, 2024

St. Augustine


 

 

St. Augustine, March 20, 2024 - “In recent times, the crime crisis in Trinidad and Tobago has escalated out of proportion instilling fear in the lives of citizens of Trinidad and Tobago” says Dr. Indira Rampersad, Head of the Department of Political Science of The Faculty of Social Sciences at The University of the West Indies (The UWI), St. Augustine Campus. Dr. Indira Rampersad's assertion highlights that amidst these escalating rates, there is a pressing need for collective action, echoed by the forthcoming Crime Symposium at The UWI, which offers a platform to deliberate and strategize solutions for combating criminality and restoring peace within the nation.

 The public is invited to the Department’s upcoming Crime Symposium: “Simulating Solutions: Combating Crime and Criminality in Trinidad and Tobago”, on Thursday 21st March, 2024 on campus at the Daaga Auditorium. The event, starting at 1:00 pm (AST/Eastern Caribbean) is free and open to all.

 The symposium aims to bring together leading experts and practitioners in the field of criminal justice to address the pressing issues of crime and criminality in Trinidad and Tobago.  These include The Honourable Mr. Justice Winston Anderson, Judge of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ); Mr. Ugo Blanco, Resident Representative for the UNDP Multi-Country Office; Ms. Hasine Shaikh, Chief Public Defender, Trinidad & Tobago; Ms. Lynette Seebaran-Suite SC, President, Trinidad and Tobago Law Association; Mr. Martin Lum Kin, President, Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers Association; and Corporal Zaheer Ali from the Special Investigations Unit, Trinidad and Tobago Police Service.

 According to Dr. Rampersad who will be moderating these critical conversations, “The crime crisis is multi-dimensional including homicide due to the drug trade and gang activism, possession of illegal firearms, domestic and school violence and the need for reform of the criminal justice system”.

 The event will also be streamed live on UWITV’s website https://uwitv.global/

 End

 About The University of the West Indies

 The UWI has been and continues to be a pivotal force in every aspect of Caribbean development, residing at the center of all efforts to improve the well-being of people across the region for over 75 years.

 From a university college of London in Jamaica with 33 medical students in 1948, The UWI is today an internationally respected, global university with nearly 50,000 students and five campuses: Mona in Jamaica, St. Augustine in Trinidad and Tobago, Cave Hill in Barbados, Five Islands in Antigua and Barbuda and its Global Campus, and global centres in partnership with universities in North America, Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Europe.

 The UWI offers over 1000 certificate, diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Culture, Creative and Performing Arts, Food and Agriculture, Engineering, Humanities and Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science and Technology, Social Sciences, and Sport. As the Caribbean’s leading university, it possesses the largest pool of Caribbean intellect and expertise committed to confronting the critical issues of our region and the wider world.

 The UWI has been consistently ranked among the best in the world by the most reputable ranking agency, Times Higher Education (THE). Since The UWI’s 2018 debut in THE’s rankings, it has performed well in multiple schemes—among them including World University Rankings, Golden Age University Rankings (between 50 and 80 years old), Latin America Rankings, and the Impact Rankings for its response to the world’s biggest concerns, outlined in the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including Good Health and Well-being; Gender Equality and Climate Action.

 Learn more at www.uwi.edu   

Contact