IN SAYING that the calling of a state of emergency was proof that Government was "clearly out of touch" when it came to tackling the crime scourge, Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles added that the public deserves to have safety without the sacrificing of their freedom.

In a press release at 7 pm on July 18, Beckles said that despite grand campaign promises of a crime solution by April 28, there is a glaring lack of a real plan to address crime. "We are faced with out of control crime and an inability to produce a viable plan. The government has chosen the extreme initiative of a state of emergency as its first, only and final plan to deal with this issue," she said.

The Arima MP added that the declaration of emergency powers was a most extreme tool available to any government, and its use must always be scrutinised, justified and proportionate. She claimed the nation was now in a bewildered state.