Business Chambers Say Crime Is Shortening Shopping Hours

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After the Downtown Owners and Merchants Association warned about the effect of crime on commerce, other business groups described similar concerns to the Trinidad Express. They said some customers were leaving shopping districts earlier, shortening visits or choosing places they considered safer. The newspaper published their responses on 28 October; it did not provide a national sales series that could quantify the effect.

Sources: Trinidad Express, 28 Oct ↗

The Confederation of Regional Business Chambers linked insecurity to consumer confidence, employment and the ability of shops to stay open. The Greater San Fernando Area Chamber highlighted evening foot traffic and the costs of robberies, break-ins and theft. Chaguanas merchants said shorter shopping trips and spending on private security can squeeze margins. These are views from named business organisations, not an official crime or economic assessment.

The San Juan Business Association described local collaboration with police and said dialogue through a police council had helped businesses share concerns. Across the groups, the practical requests included sustained patrols, better intelligence, timely investigations, CCTV in commercial areas and regular contact between police and merchants. The associations differed in the examples they stressed, but connected public safety with the day-to-day operation of businesses.

Sources: Trinidad Express, 28 Oct ↗

The report does not establish how much revenue businesses lost, whether crime caused every change in shopping behaviour or what the police will do next. The useful follow-up is a response from the police and dated local crime and commercial data that can test the chambers’ concerns. Until then, the claims about reduced foot traffic and higher costs remain attributed to the business representatives who made them.

Sources: Trinidad Express, 28 Oct ↗