Senior Reporter
shane.superville@guardian.co.tt
While they have not received any reports of threats or intimidation against contractors operating in Maloney, the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) says it will seek police protection for contractors hired to do upgrade works.
The decision to seek police assistance comes a week after sub-contractor Kevin Akeel Barker and Joshua Toney were killed in two separate incidents last week.
In the first incident, Toney, 20, was shot by gunmen wearing police tactical gear as he walked home after finishing work on August 27. He died at hospital three days later.
Barker, 33, was shot dead by gunmen as he set up scaffolding in the same area last Tuesday.
On Tuesday, one of Toney’s relatives told Guardian Media that while the latest murders may not necessarily be part of a war over the contracts, they believed the workmen were easy targets for criminals searching for them.
Speaking that afternoon Snr Supt Kerwin Francis, of the Northern Division, said intelligence suggested the uptick in violent crime in Maloney was linked to the issuance of HDC contracts. He said contractors were approached by criminals who demanded money.
Responding to questions sent via email on Wednesday, HDC managing director Jayselle McFarlane said while they were aware of incidents where contractors were intimidated by criminals, they did not receive any reports from contractors in Maloney of any threats.
“The HDC is aware that criminals do threaten and intimidate employees and contractors of state agencies, inclusive of the HDC . However, with respect to Maloney, the HDC has not received any reports of intimidation for works conducted at Maloney from its contractors,” she said.
“The upgrade works will not be postponed, as they are necessary for the maintenance of the developments in which residents live.
“Further, the HDC has engaged the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) to provide an additional layer of security for its planned upgrade works at Maloney.”
McFarlane said the police will be engaged by today to provide the security for workers. She said the HDC had adopted a “zero tolerance” approach to intimidation of contractors, noting it was committed to keeping residents and communities safe.
When Guardian Media visited Maloney on Wednesday, workers were seen on scaffolding at several buildings.
One resident who asked not to be identified said while life continued, the murders were troubling as residents tried to avoid meddling with criminals for their own safety. He admitted, however, that given the prevalence of crime, even innocent bystanders could be victims.
“If you don’t intervene in people’s business nothing will go on with you, but at the end of the day, you could be passing through and gunshots are going on, you could get shot, that doesn’t mean you’re involved in anything.
“You could be sitting down in front of you door, a gunman pass and shoot you, that doesn’t mean you’re involved in crime either.”
Pointing to several bullet holes in windows, walls and a drainpipe on the ground floor of Building Eight, where Barker was killed, the resident lamented the unpredictable nature of the shootings. He said while most Maloney residents socialised and mingled on evenings owing to their work schedule, most recreation had since stopped out of safety concerns.
“The majority of people of Maloney work outside of the neighbourhood, so when they come home on the afternoon, the fellas might play football and other sports, sometimes after 11 o clock the sweat just finishing. These things don’t happen anymore, sometimes it’s like a ghost town around here.”
While in the neighbourhood several motorists were seen driving through the communities, but few residents were seen walking between the buildings to nearby shops.
One shopkeeper said while she did not know the circumstances behind the murders of Barker and Toney, she was fearful, adding the atmosphere in the neighbourhood had changed noticeably.
“Look how school open back up, on an afternoon the children would go in the park there and play. You’re not seeing that anymore in the back there. It’s too much.”
The shopkeeper said most people tried to steer clear of trouble but felt that the spate of violence was unacceptable.
Another resident said violence had become a norm for most people in the neighbourhood, noting while he was not particularly shaken, he was concerned by the killings.
“It’s not just Maloney, you see these kinds of things, look at all over in Trinidad, it’s the same kind of nonsense. A lot of people for now just accept it as a norm but it’s not a good mindset to just take this as normal.”
