83 per cent of gang members in T&T are of African descent: Draft UNDP report

Members of the UNDP team that produced the report

A draft of a report by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) states that Trinidad and Tobago has become one of the most violent countries in the Caribbean and is listed among the most dangerous countries in the world.

The report on Human Development and Citizen Security in the Caribbean was drafted by Caribbean academics from five countries in the region who met in Trinidad in April to discuss the findings of a Victimization Survey spearheaded by the UNDP in December 2010.

The results of the survey will form part of the first UNDP Regional Human Development Report on Citizen Security, which is entitled: "Achieving Human Development by Enhancing Citizen Security in the Caribbean."

The April meeting covered seven headings:

• Trends: Victimization-Gender Patterns and Vulnerable Groups 
• Youth and Violence and Youth Resilience 
• Organized Crime and Street Gangs 
• State Policies and the Policy Orientation of the Populations 
• The Police: Transitioning to Citizen Security 
• The Criminal Justice System 
• Best Practices and Promising Programmes 

The report, to be presented later this year, is aimed at providing National and Regional governments with possible tools for addressing the issue of Crime and Violence in the region.

According to the draft report there is evidence that 95 gangs are currently operating in Trinidad and Tobago with a membership of 1,269 members.

The data suggest that the majority of criminal gangs are concentrated in three police divisions: Port of Spain, Western and Northern.

Some of the communities covered in these districts include Belmont, Besson Street, St Clair, Woodbrook, St Barbs, St James, Maraval, Carenage, Diego Martin, Arima, Arouca, Tunapuna, Cumuto, Maracas/St Joseph, Piarco, Malabar and Maloney.

These areas have been targeted by the protective services in the present State of Emergency.

The draft report stated that 83 per cent of gang members are of African origin. 

File: Police round up suspected gang members in Port of Spain during the SoE

That is consistent with data presented in Parliament by National Security Minister John Sandy to refute arguments by the opposition People's National Movement that the government has been targeted only people of African origin and focusing on opposition areas.

The statistics also show that the gangs are male dominated and that 88 per cent lay claim to specific turf and most of them defend that space.

In addition it said two-thirds of the gangs have from six to 50 members and that 95 per cent of gang members are Trinidad and Tobago citizens.

The analysis of the data shows that the majority of gang-related murders between 2001 to 2010 (42.6%) were concentrated in the Port of Spain division.

More than half of gang members are between 18 and 25 and that based on interviews with gang members, more than half of them have been previously arrested arrested. At least 26 per cent of gang members were arrested for firearm-related offences and 15.2 per cent for drug trafficking.

The report noted cited the a UN document on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and World Bank Report 2007, which found that illegal firearms were so common in Trinidad and Tobago that potential offenders could rent a gun for as little as $100 an hour.

Between 2002 and 2010, a total of 2,421 murders were committed with the use of firearms. The total murders for that period was 3,264 murders.

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