The assistant commissioner of police responsible for crime fighting in St. Vincent and the Grenadines says that gangs operating in the country.
The comment from Trevor “Buju” Bailey on Monday is in contrast to comments by acting Commissioner of Police Enville Williams at a press conference on July 17 in Kingstown when he said he would not say that the killings in the country are because of organised crime.
The government has repeatedly denied the existence of gangs in SVG.
In 2017, Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves identified five of what he described as “associational groupings with criminal activity” across the country.
However, on Monday, Bailey said “by definition, I would say yes” there are gangs in SVG.
“I would classify and say yes, because when I look at how some of them operate, you’re seeing structure. There’s a command structure. There are duties that are assigned to persons,” Bailey said on “Voices” on WE FM, which was hosted by Executive Editor of iWitness News, Kenton Chance.
“Should we allow it to go further? That’s a resounding no,” Bailey said, adding that the activities of the gangs are “not done haphazardly.
“There’s some that you cannot go out and do certain things without you have the expressed approval of the leadership. That is well-defined,” Bailey said.
Asked what role these gangs play in crime in SVG, Bailey said, “What we saw coming out of South Rivers, that was an accident?”
He was referring to the July 16 robbery of a credit union in South Rivers, resulting in the police bringing robbery, attempted murder and firearm charges against six people from Central Kingstown, South Leeward and Central Leeward.
“So, we see them engage in robberies. We know that they engage in offences of murder. We know that they engage in narcotics,” Bailey said.
Asked whether narcotics, robberies and homicides are linked, the senior police officer said he would be “careful” in his answer.
“… because it doesn’t require a blanket statement. It requires careful analysis, and may even require a deeper analysis, a deeper search/investigation into the operations of these gangs,” Bailey said
“They have colour codes, they have names. They have places that they consider as their area or territory so they lay the claim to,” he said, adding that gangs will not be allowed to control territory in the country.
“Nobody will be allowed to lay any claim to any geographic space. It is not theirs,” Bailey said, adding that this would certainly be the case for the next seven years, at the end of which he is slated to retire.
“And I’m hoping that the organisation, long after me, will ensure that that doesn’t happen. That will never be allowed to happen,” Bailey said.
“If we allow any gang, any group to just spring up and say that ‘between Hospital Corner and Frenches belongs to us’, the barracks (Police Headquarters) is between Hospital Corner and Frenches. So how you go own the barracks? You can’t own no geographic locations in St. Vincent and the Grenadines,” Bailey said.
He continued:
“We can’t allow those things to happen. And if anybody have that kind of idea or that kind of mindset, go to sleep tonight knowing that it’s only in your head that you own it. You will never control the streets like that, to say any geographic area in St. Vincent and the Grenadines is your turf and it belongs to you. That can’t happen.”
Bailey said what is to be done to counter these gangs to ensure that they do not operate as they have been doing or want to is “a very interesting question.
“When you look at some of the persons who associate themselves with this grouping, the gangs, we see young boys who are still in their school clothes, still in school uniform, and that’s where they choose to go and congregate before they go to class, when they break at lunchtime and afternoons before they go home.”
He said that “pretty soon” the authorities will have to “look at sitting down and looking at laws that are geared specifically towards these gangs because the truth is, we cannot allow them to germinate or to take root because the longer we stay to address them directly is the more influence they’re going to have, the more assets they’re going to accumulate.
“And the accumulation of assets you give them some sort of authority, some sort of power, some sort of liberty, that they can operate because ‘I can stand on my own two feet’.”
Bailey said these assets include financial assets and weapons.
“If you’re selling drugs and you into robbery and murders, you may very well find that they use the drug money to buy weapons, to do the robberies and to do the killings.
“So, we can’t be naive to what is happening around us and bury our heads in the sand and when we wake up one morning, we hearing that 10, 20 men. holding AK, 47 in any geographic location just shooting them into the air.
“No! Because if we turn our backs and pretend that nothing is happening untowards, we can get there.”
He said that the police force is not “turning our backs because our eyes are focused and they know that we have eyes on them.
“They know that we’re looking at them. They know; they can see it. And that is our job. That is what the taxpayers of St. Vincent and the Grenadines are paying us for — to do our work. And we can’t run away from that. I am not shying away from that.”
That’s is the truth we can’t wark in town just now look my sister died in arnos vale and I wish this man
can never come out of prison
Well, as you are what you eat ..
Same, take action what you speak…
Buju am glad that you acknowledged the presence of gangs. However you seem to be speaking in contrary terms. While you acknowledged their presence you are.saying the gangs must not be allowed to germinate and take root. They have germinated, take root and is spreading rapidly.
Get to the root of it and destroy the gangs. There is a way, but you people make things so complicated.
There is always a root cause to everything. For example, the love of money is the root of ALL evil. Not just money, but the love of it.
Gang members are bored and simple people. They want something to do. So they create a unity group because they know unity is strength. However, it doesn’t make it right if they are causing trouble and unrest. This is where those in authority must come up with a solution. There is always a solution to every problem. You have to make them a good offer that they cannot refuse. What might that be? Let me make a suggestion! Instead of sending your young people overseas in the British army why not create your own army in the Caribbean? Be the first Caribbean county to have a mighty army for your young people. Don’t tell me you don’t have any money, because you do. Stop invest in rubbish and invest in the young people.
I was waiting in the PM’s office when a man and his son came in and sat beside me. He told me that the boy mother abandon him and he had to look after him single handed. Whether this is true or not I don’t know I am not a judge. But I looked at the young boy and imprint a good word upon his mind and heart. That boy will never forget what I told him and then I gave him £100. I say this to say that we can make a difference in the lives of people by the power invested in us. I am speaking to those who are in authority. God put you there to make a difference. If you don’t know what to do, ask the LORD. Don’t feel you are too big to ask him for help. The kingdom is at the disposal of little children and you must become as a child to get the things of the kingdom.
Oh so you now realize that criminal gangs are operating in St Vincent?Even the puss and dawg knew that.Big chief just wake up from his sleepless slumber.
Go Buju!
It must feel really good to be the one to call a spade a spade. It is about time that someone acknowledged the existence of these gangs.
It is a step in the right direction because we cannot attempt to resolve a problem/issue without first admitting to its existence. Joe Public knows gangs are operating in SVG, and the authorities are telling us otherwise.
When the police do their work the public speaks negatively, when the criminals do their crimes the public don’t bash the criminals they blame it on the police or government. I say give the police the space to do their jobs and keep politics out of it , police are not politicians they are here to protect the country . Even the journalists in my opinion is always there to write in a way to destroy the police hence strengthening the criminals . Do we really want peace or is ot just an everyday fight for money ? These criminals don’t pick and choose and for those who think that trying to destroy others just for publicity is the right way , the problem is coming to your door step . Who you gonna run to, will it be the bad boys or the police ?
This is not news to me, gangs have existed in SVG for years now. It’s just that ACP Bailey is in a better position as ACP incharge of Crimes to call them out. Who wants to look bad in their position as Crime Fighter by ignoring the real issue. However, the Legislative Arm of government fail miserably to put the proper laws in place to counteract gang activities. Call them out ACP Bailey, don’t go down as the worst crime fighter in the history of the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force when you have been doing your best with the limited resources at your disposal. Let the legislative arm of government do what tax payers are paying them to do, implement laws to protect its people from lawless elements. The Police is handicap without this authority (proper laws) and so the Judicial system will be able to perform their role, hopefully, without bias. Let Vincentians see the same energy and enthusiasm that was placed into implimenting laws to fire Civil Servants from their jobs for refusing to take the Covid 19 vaccine, being place into developing and executing laws to protect vincentians from gangs and other lawsless activities. Time for us to put words into action……no more long talk. We know the source of the problem, so let’s have long actions.
Buju deliberately failed to mention that past and present members of the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force are in the pocket and on the payroll of these criminal gangs.
Ɓuju Trevor Bailey will be reprimanded for calling a spade a spade. This is not what the ULP expected. Denial denial is a fact of life. He can as well as say good bye for any future promotions .
Gang is everywhere! But what is the solution to this? What cause gang? when did gang come about? How are we going solve the problem? A lot of people is saying all kinds of things but none is giving the solution.if you tell them to pray and ask God, they stiff up a lip in God’s face.
Why is there a dispute among the police commissioner and the leader of crime investigation? This is the problem right there: These men cannot be looking in different directions if they are to take care of the crime problem.
Buju is being control and cannot move forward on any action to handle the issue. Where is the minister of security? Is he part of the problem?
The legal system must be revisited because there are too many holes, especially when youths are involved in crime. Their age should never play a part in sentencing. Most criminals use the crooked legal system because the number of years for crimes has deduction for false and stupid reasons.
There should be no reason to reduce the number of years for crimes.
I agree wid u 1000%. In a flash law was put in place to corner decent hard working Vincentains to put them out of their job. A law that was cunningly crafted dat dey couldn’t turn to d left nor to d right because dey decided not to put an experimental drug in their body.
Similarly an aggressive law should be put in place to deter d criminals
C.Ben-David you are the modern day Lazarus. Do you have proof that criminals are on police officer payroll? If so why not present your proof. It can brle done in so many ways without jeopardizing your own security. Come on C.Ben-David you may have intimate information that exist in your own town of Layou.