National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds says former top cop Gary Griffith was responsible for fueling gun violence in Trinidad and Tobago as he slammed the thousands of Firearm Users Licenses (FULs) issued under Griffith’s tenure.
Speaking at the People’s National Movement (PNM) meeting in San Juan on Thursday, Hinds minced no words in castigating Griffith, dubbing him “G-string” and describing him as “half educated, egotistic, narcissistic, little noise maker,”.
Hinds said during Griffith’s three year stint as Commissioner, Griffith granted close to 8,000 firearm licences, which meant more guns and more licences than all the other Police Commissioners before him.
Hinds went on to provide statistics to show that during Griffith’s tenure from 2018 to 2021 there was a drastic increase in the granting of licenses to import guns and ammunition.
He said there was an arbitrary granting of licences to people with convictions, deportees and even people who the senior superintendent of police in Divisions objected to.
Hinds said there were about nine dealers in 2018 and it increased to 34 during Griffith’s watch.
He added that Griffith has been going to the courts to block the truth from coming out.
Hinds said that a judge said that if the Prime Minister, as head of the National Security Council did not act on this, it would have been a “serious dereliction of duty”.