There are some 101 gang members before the courts for a number of offences, including murder, Minister in the Ministry of National Security Donna Cox has said.

In response to a question on the Parliament’s Order Paper, Cox said yesterday that the records of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) state that these persons have charges for possession of firearms, narcotic offences, murder, robbery and obscene language.

’At present, several gang leaders and criminal gang members have been prosecuted for criminal offences. Twenty-eight persons were found guilty for various offences,’ Cox said.

Cox said these offences included possession of firearms, murder, possession of marijuana and robbery with violence. She noted that one person was found not guilty of murder and another person charged for house breaking and larceny had his case dismissed.

Cox said the Inter Agency Task Force, which comprises police officers and members of the Defence Force, has and continues to take action to investigate the criminal gang leaders and the members of the criminal gangs in the country, in order to bring them to justice.

’As the agency primarily responsible for inhibiting the formation of gangs and curbing gang-related activities, the Inter Agency Task Force (IATF) has deployed forces into areas known for gang-related activities to undertake intelligence-based operations aimed at reducing and eventually eliminating gang formation and operation in Trinidad and Tobago,’ she said.

She added that the IATF has been working in collaboration with other agencies of the Ministry of National Security, such as the Trinidad and Tobago Prison Service and the Special Anti-Crime Unit of Trinidad and Tobago (SAUTT), to investigate criminal gangs and gang leaders.

’One such collaboration is the Repeat Offenders Programme Task Force (ROPTF), which is responsible for identifying street gangs, their membership structures and turf. Additionally, the creation and maintenance of a repeat offenders database enable officials to monitor and profile gang members engaged in criminal activity,’ Cox said.