A stern warning to residents of Laventille who are bent on taking justice into their own hands: adhere to the rule of law and let justice take its course.

The warning came from Deputy Commissioner of Police Gilbert Reyes, as he spoke to reporters yesterday at a news conference at the Police Administration Headquarters in Port of Spain.

Reyes said following the murder of ten-year-old Tecia Henry on June 17 in John John, Laventille, things in the area have cooled down.

’Since the unfortunate death of young Miss Henry, we are seeing a genuine effort by the citizens of Laventille to deal with the situation (crime),’ Reyes said.

Following Henry’s death, Laventille residents issued leaflets detailing their way of dealing with crime in the area (see sidebar).

Henry went missing for four days, following which her body was found stuffed in a hole under a house at Plaisance Terrace, Laventille.

An autopsy revealed she was strangled.

Noting that the Inter-Agency Task Force officers were working alongside communities such as John John, Block Eight, Trou Macaque among others, Reyes said some boundaries which once graced various communities no longer exist, and residents were free to ’walk through certain areas’.

Adding that certain criminal elements still function within communities, Reyes said, ’Certain groups have decided to police themselves and police members of their groups. They set rules, known as orders, which carry sanctions,’ Reyes said.

’The rule of law must be observed, any criminal activities must be reported to the police, so that the judicial system will be observed,’ Reyes added.

-Denyse Renne