Caribbean – Crime-fighting efforts return, UN says – NY Carib News

In addition to social exclusion and dishonest government officials, criminal gangs are also fueled by the failure of various government initiatives to reduce crime.

Caribbean Gangs: Drugs, Firearms and Gangs Networks in Jamaica, St. Lucia, Guyana, and Trinidad and Tobago is a recent report published by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) which contains the following conclusions.

According to the article, programs that use a “public health approach” to reduce gang violence have been shown to be somewhat effective.

The UN investigation complained that this strategy was rarely applied, to the detriment of neighbouring countries, even though it was promoted at the Caricom conference on crime held in Trinidad last year.

“Despite advocating a public health response, several Caribbean governments have simultaneously tightened their ‘tough on crime’ policies, declaring states of emergency, passing anti-gang legislation and establishing anti-gang units or adopting heavy-handed policing strategies.”

There was mixed reaction across the region to the police crackdown.

“While tough policing strategies against crime have led to an increase in arrests and drug seizures, there has been an erosion of trust within heavily policed ​​communities.”

“There are also concerns about extrajudicial violence.”

According to the study, extrajudicial killings by police have led to St. Lucia being subject to the US Leahy Law sanctions. In addition, extrajudicial violence has been reported in Jamaica and Guyana.

In T&T there was no talk of extrajudicial killings.

Under the Leahy Laws, the U.S. Department of State and Department of Defense may not arm foreign security forces that commit human rights abuses without facing consequences.

The research shows that the four countries’ efforts to combat gangs have had unintended, but negative, consequences.

“The Caribbean, US and EU-backed measures to tackle gang leaders are also generating unintended results.”

“Some gang leaders lower their profiles and go underground, while others are killed or imprisoned and replaced by increasingly violent opponents. As seen elsewhere in the world, gang disintegration often leads to violence.”

“Several national governments in the Caricom region have expressed concerns that drug trafficking, gang fragmentation and insecurity could worsen in the coming years.”

The research found that there has been a significant increase in efforts to arrest T&T gang leaders, but that this has also had some negative consequences.

“On the other hand, the removal of gang leaders has also led to the splitting of many gangs and increased inter- and intra-factional violence as groups compete with each other for territory and drug trafficking routes.”

“Harsh measures to crack down on criminal groups such as drug cartels and gangs could lead to more violence, as in the case of T&T.”

According to the assessment, the Strategic Services Agency (SSA) predicted “a new wave of violent crime” in 2021 as major gangs break up, increasing the number of murders, shootings and other violent crimes. Meanwhile, T&T gangs are gaining access to higher-caliber weapons from domestic sources, the US and Venezuela, and have expanded into new industries including fraud, money laundering, robbery, human trafficking and illegal gambling.

The study regrets the T&T government’s decision to halt various peace efforts.

“A range of preventive measures, including ceasefires, truces and informal negotiations, have also been explored in the Caribbean.”

“In some cases, ceasefires appear to contribute to short-term reductions in homicide. However, the evidence for their effectiveness is mixed.”

“Preventive approaches that use trusted intermediaries to disrupt or interrupt violence before it escalates are praised for positive outcomes.”

“Cure Violence, a group that addresses violence as a public health issue, has shown positive results in both Jamaica and T&T.”

“The so-called Project Resolve Enmity, Articulate Solutions, Organize Neighborhoods (REASON) initiative was supported in T&T between 2015 and 2017 and is credited with reducing homicides by 45 percent in 16 neighborhoods. But the funding was stopped in 2017.”

“A follow-up program called Building Blocks also reduced shootings between 2020 and 2022, but was discontinued in 2022.”

Unlike such official measures, underworld truces and ceasefires typically served only to curb short-term hostilities. Worse, they were often violated, leading to sharp spikes in retaliatory violence.

The study also criticised the way in which organised crime and gangs are sustained by government corruption, state apathy and societal neglect.

In terms of societal neglect, UNODC found that many gang practices in Guyana, Jamaica, St. Lucia and Trinidad and Tobago date back to the mid-20th century.

“Many of the precursors to today’s gangs in the region were in fact ‘self-help groups’ and ‘neighbourhood improvement groups’ operating in low-income and informal settlements where the state had only a limited presence.”

“Whether they are transnationally connected or operate in a very local way, most gangs emerge in response to criminal opportunities and in circumstances of social and economic disadvantage.”

In addition, there are now gangs that are concerned with the social isolation of certain young people.

“And while most gangs seek to generate profit for their leaders, they also play a role in creating a sense of belonging and identity among rank-and-file members.”

“Gangs are overwhelmingly made up of younger men, often uneducated and unemployed, and deeply distrustful of government agencies. Although often short and brutal, gang life offers money, respect, belonging, and access to intimate partners.”

The investigation also included specific examples of how dishonest officials have enabled criminal gangs to operate.

“While it is a sensitive topic, it is widely acknowledged that Caribbean gangs often work in partnership with state actors and private companies.”

“In the case of the larger gangs and gang federations, political and economic elites regularly use their services to influence elections in key districts and to protect personal and commercial property and assets.”

The study cited a 2009 Small Arms Survey report authored by Dorn Townsend, entitled “No Other Life: Gangs, Guns, and Governance in T&T” to support this claim.

“In return, gang leaders can gain privileged access to government contracts (for example, for construction) and protection from investigation, arrest, and prosecution.”

According to the investigation, a few well-connected gangs assist in the transshipment of illicit goods, including weapons, narcotics, smuggled immigrants and people who have been trafficked, “with tacit or overt support from well-placed politicians, corrupt customs officials and complicit police officers.”

“According to the perception of key informants, it is often the smaller players who are charged and imprisoned, while the cases of players higher up in the hierarchy are often dismissed due to lack of evidence or compromised judges.

“The significant impunity granted to gang leaders has encouraged some to diversify into new industries, including migrant smuggling and human trafficking for sexual exploitation, to legitimate retail and high-turnover services, including car dealerships, supermarket chains, real estate and pharmacies.”

The contribution of political and business leaders in the Caribbean to facilitating gang activities and illicit markets is not well documented.

“Representatives of various regional and national intelligence agencies are aware that a small number of business people, often those involved in import and export activities (e.g., automobiles and parts, agricultural products, and oil and gas), and others involved in businesses with a high turnover of cash (e.g., pharmacies, grocery stores, and casinos), are more likely to be involved in human trafficking and money laundering.”

During this operation, port and customs officials could be bribed.

The report found evidence of official corruption in the large-scale, low-risk transshipment of cocaine from South America to North America and Western Europe.

“These drug shipments are the result of transnational drug trafficking networks and a small number of gangs, and are facilitated by corrupt customs and shipping agents, with the involvement of a number of political and economic elites.”

According to the study, which also raised the issue of government corruption fueling gangs, firearms and ammunition were “diverted from police and private security arsenals.”

It added: “Some (gangs) can also obtain ammunition from local police and defence as has been reported in T&T.

“The presence of Jamaican and Trinidadian gang members in Florida and New York facilitates access to firearms in states with less restrictive controls and freight forwarders to ship them in containers.”