Cops ward off URP protesters

Police were called out at Laventille Road and Quarry Street in Laventille yesterday, as scores of URP workers blocked roads, burnt tyres and protested the Ministry of Local Government’s decision to decrease the number of gangs from 40 to 18.

However, after meeting with protesters outside his Whitehall office yesterday, Prime Minister Patrick Manning agreed to bring the number of gangs back up to 40 for two months, at which time a decision would be made on “the way forward.”

Hundreds of people from the Morvant/Laventille constituency were reported to be affected by the decision to decrease the number of Unemployment Relief Programme gangs in the area.

On Monday, angry URP workers staged an unruly protest outside the office of the Ministry of Local Government in St Clair in a bid to voice their displeasure over the move to cut down on the number of URP gangs. Sean Francis of Morvant and Christine Livier of Bazilon Street, East Dry River, were the most vocal of the protesters.

However, a Ministry of Local Government official said a number of ghost gangs are operating in that constituency, and people are being paid for work they never do.

The official pointed out that a clean-up of the system regarding the allocation of funds for URP gangs has begun, and other constituencies will also be affected. From as early as 6 am yesterday, officers of the Guard and Emergency Branch (EGB), the Besson Street police and police from the Port-of-Spain Division were called out at Laventille Road and Quarry Street, as URP workers blocked two roads in the area.