Curfew In Diego

Residents of Diego Martin especially those living in the once peaceful rural and agricultural areas of Patna Village, Bagatelle, River Estate and Blue Basin say they fear for their lives because of the recent increase in murders, serious crimes and gang war in the area.

The Western Division, which encompasses these Diego Martin villages, is second only to the Port-of-Spain Division. There have been 25 killings, 17 of which have occurred in Bagatelle, Patna, Blue Basin and River Estate. But while the murder toll is climbing, residents are saying that it is not only the gangsters they fear but the police in Diego Martin. That’s why they are not forthcoming with information about the criminal elements in the area.

“We do not feel safe but we cannot trust the police,” River Estate resident Cornelius Lewis tells Newsday. “We cannot trust going into a station or calling the police to report anything because before we leave the station, the criminals are aware of who made the report and where that person is living. People are just afraid.” He adds, “In other cases even when the criminal is arrested in two-twos with some hot-shot lawyer, they are back in the system and coming after you. The only hope is for the formation of a private agency which takes the report and passes it on to the relevant authorities.”

Clothing salesman Sheldon Clarke of Blue Basin commonly called “Back-ah-Yard”, but once famous only for its waterfall, has similar views and blames the crime and the gang war in the area on greed, power, neglect, time and the police. “Ever since the murder of a certain ‘community leader’ (name called) last year who had control over all the gangs and programmes in the area stretching as far as Petit Valley it has been ‘open day’ with gangs. Fellas are now killing each other for power, rank, greed, family neglect, association , or simply because they have nothing to do. Because a fella is looking for position of power or he simply feels he was disrespected he would go out and kill. Some would kill because they have a problem with someone and did not find that person so they kill someone close to him. Others simply do not have anything to do so they simply go out and kill or they kill simply to prevent being killed,” he told Newsday.

“It is killed or be killed. It is the law of the jungle,” says maxi-taxi conductor Gary Gilkes of Bagatelle. “Life in the area has been virtually shut down. Night life is no more. Partying, playing basketball late on the courts, games at the nearby MerryBoys Cricket, even hanging out and selling is a thing of the past. We are on a self-imposed curfew. As it gets dark, the area is a ghost-town. People are afraid to come out.This is affecting life as we know it. These youths want to live nice lives and not work for it. All they want to do is ‘bling, drive nice cars, party and get the ‘girls’ and not work to get it.” Gilkes adds, “The police too are to blame because although they know who the criminals are, they would block cars on the road with innocent people, drag them out and search them in the most dehumanising way. Added to which if you should go to the station to make a report you are pulled in a room and asked all sorts of questions, when you say you ‘are not a snitch’, you are treated as a criminal and accused of all sort of things.”

Vegetable vendor Ramganesh Singh of St Lucien Road, who conducts his trade at the corner of River Estate and St Lucien Road supports the sentiments expressed by Lewis. He also confirms that because of the crime-wave in the area businesses are forced to close early affecting sales and resulting in either the reduction of staff or the entire closure of the business. Twelve Tribes of Israel member Marlon Romadie of Sea-Trace, Bagatelle also confesses that he is affected and is calling for more spirituality.“With God there is order and once there is order everything works accordingly. The police cannot do it, we need God,” he advises. Several other residents from the Patna and Bagatelle (Sea-Trace, Mahogany Avenue) areas speak about crime, but prefer to remain anonymous for fear of a “backlash” from both criminals and police who they say are in charge of drug blocks and are as criminal as the criminals.

One resident says, “Right now all we can do is come out early and go in early and lock up the place. When we hear anything we keep inside. During the day life is normal, but after hours being outside is a ‘death wish’. When we see nothing or hear nothing we are safe.

“Most times when the police come they either treat the law-abiding citizen as a criminal or even the same criminal as a ‘dog’ causing him to return for revenge. And then you have some of the police who own drug blocks or put guns in the hands of these killers to work. And if at all you are suspected of giving information, then you can be dead.”

An outspoken Patna youth Elliot Williams who also says he is afraid for his life, explains that his fear is not of the criminals but the police themselves.“The police are who are killing most of the youths and blaming it on gang war...the police are the ones who own the blocks and putting guns in the youths’ hands and then turning around and shooting them, pretending they(cops) are working.” In some notorious areas like Sea Trace, Forest Street, Savannah Drive, Mahogany Trace, Waterwheel Road in Patna and River Estate and streets off the Diego Martin Main Road such as Dillon and Quarry Streets and Covigne and Factory Roads, which also have seen shootings and murders, residents shy away from speaking at all.“Speaking to you can mean death,” one man says.

Police at the nearby Patna Police Post, which is in the middle of the four communities, have refused comment. And Deputy Commissioner of Police Winston Cooper has dismissed the allegation about cops putting guns in the hands of criminals or being part of the problem as “utter rubbish”.

He is advising anyone with information who is afraid to go to the police to contact 800-TIPS, which he assures will handle the matter in the strictest of confidence.

He also advises persons with complaints about the police to take their matters to Senior Superintendent in charge of the Western Division Roderick Roach and to the St James Divisional headquarters or to the Intelligence Unit. West End police have refused to comment.