An analysis of gangs and gang-related activities in the Northern Division during 2022 shows that four major gangs in Maloney and Pinto districts were responsible for the majority of serious crimes.
Snr Supt, Northern Division North, Kerwin Francis said these gangs were involved in approximately 80 per cent of the shootings, woundings and homicides across in those districts. He said the driving factors behind this explosion in criminal activities was illegal quarrying, extortion, drug trafficking and state contracts.
“By the very nature of these activities and the propensity of these gangs to commit acts of violence, we identified that these two districts required an approach which was robust and effective,” he said.
Francis said a three-tiered system had been implemented, including increased mobile patrols, house searches, road blocks, stop and search exercises, and vehicle searches, along with aggressive investigations to dismantle the gangs in Pinto and Maloney and police officers have started relying more heavily on legislation to aid in this effort.
He cited the Civil Asset Recovery and Unexplained Wealth Orders as two pieces of legislation that aid in the seizure and forfeiture of assets owned and operated by gang leaders or gang members.
In 2021, there were 140 serious reported crimes (SRCs) across both districts, with a detection rate of 60 per cent compared to 137 SRCs across both districts in 2022, with a detection rate of 74 per cent. A total of 24 persons have been charged with gang related offences in Pinto for the year so far, including robbery, kidnapping, receiving stolen property, firearm and ammunition possession, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
A total of 12 persons have been charged with gang related offences in Maloney for the year so far, including firearm and ammunition possession, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Pressed to say whether illegal quarrying is a concern in his division, Francis said while one of the gangs is involved in it, it is taking place in the Eastern Division.
“Illegal quarrying is still in itself a live issue because, predominantly, of the large volumes of cash that it generates in the first instance. Secondly, the ability of the persons involved in the illegal quarrying to bribe officials to turn a blind eye to their conduct because in many of these cases, these persons are quarrying on state land,” he said.
Francis said the office of the Commissioner of State Lands has the authority to stop these activities and to eject persons operating illegally. However, he declined to specifically indicate in which department corrupt officials are operating, although he maintained that lucrative returns are enough for rival gangs to fight each other for turf.
“From our information, there are corrupt state officials involved, not only within the TTPS, because we know that there is that issue that has arisen, but the other entities who are charged with the responsibility of managing and controlling state lands. There is that propensity and that ability of these individuals to reach out to them to cause them not to act.”
“In furtherance to that, because of their ability to commit acts of violence, some of these state officials are afraid to act and so, when you seek to engage them to get cooperation, you might get some sort of delay in their actions,” he said.
