By our Trinidad correspondent and London team

	Critics asked for the parliamentary debate to avoid point-scoring

Within the first 12 hours of 2008, nine people had been murdered.

2007 had been a record year for murders, 388.

It’s a debate the opposition had been calling for over the last three years.

Police programme

As a result of the focus on crime, police in Trinidad and Tobago are now set to target gangs and drug dealers.

The state's new attempt is to bring down the explosion of murders, drug dealings, robberies and rapes.

During the parliamentary debate, National Security minister Martin Joseph, said that British police will be training locals to counter criminal gangs.

Mr Joseph told the parliament that the police will initiate a new anti-crime programme at the end of January.

He said the sale and purchase of drugs result in the entrance of guns into the country.

Opposition: not enough

But in response to the minister’s statement, opposition member, Roodall Moonilall, said the measures will not result in citizens being less afraid.

Dr Moonilall said the proposals were lacking in practical measures to counter crime.

The opposition Chief Whip in the lower House of Representatives, Ramesh Maharaj, said he was dissatisfied.

The Trinidadian newspapers continued to focus on the growing crime problem in the twin-island republic.

"With a unified, coherent strategy for stemming the lure and growth of gangs, there might be some hope for success in any anti-crime initiatives to come in the future," said a 13 January editorial in the Sunday Guardian.

The paper reported on what it called "communities terrorised by gang violence" that should send a clear message to the Government "that the most critical issue facing the nation is gang violence".

"The report offers a depressing story of communities living in fear for their lives with no confidence in the capacity of police officers to bring any relief to the level of crime that is now a part of their way of life."

	Local papers says he has to face the challenge of the maintenance of expensive anti-crime equipment

"The murder list thus far", read the Trinidad Express on 14 January, as the headline of an article which went on to list the murders of 2008 to date.

The paper's 14 January editorial focused on what it called "When crime-fighting weapons break down".

"(Prime Minister Patrick Manning) has sought to allay their fears about crime and violence here, saying confidently that the situation was being swiftly brought under control," the Express editorial said.

"The Government was winning the fight, he said, relating to that audience in an address at the Inter-American Development Bank, the quantity of sophisticated hardware and equipment being acquired, and designed to establish a security blanket around the country.

"It will add insult to the already bad injury that is the country's crime and violence profile, if it turns out that maintenance of the expensive pieces of hardware upon which so much of the assault on crime is being based, proves to be a new challenge," the editorial said.

Political point-scoring

One hopes will take place in parliament is that we will see constructive proposals   Professor John La Guerre

What is not sure, is how the parliamentary debate contributed directly to reducing crime.

On national television in Trinidad before the debate, political analyst John La Guerre, said the parliamentary debate needed to serve the national good instead of being a political stump for opposition and government.

"What one hopes will take place in parliament is that we will see constructive proposals," Professor La Guerre said.

"(Proposals) with identifiable targets rather than any attempts to score points."