Policing Gungulung is No Joke” – ComPol Chester Williams

Gungulung is well-known for the feuding gangs within that neighborhood and policing the area has been a quite challenge.  According to the top cop, while the Special Patrol Unit focuses on enforcement, the Conscious Youth Development Program has been working to deter youths in that community from gang activity.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“The difficulty in policing this area is no joke.  We have rivals who live right across from each other.  We have inter-gang rivalry that escalated over the past few weeks which resulted in a few shootings.  So it is challenging, but as the police we try not to find excuse but rather try to look at solutions to overcome the difficulties that we encounter and one way that we try to look at these rivalries is to work in tandem with the CYDP who would normally come in and do the mediation aspect of the work, while the SPU focuses on the operational aspect of the work.  And so, we’re still trying to strike that balance with a view to see how we can get the best possible results from the efforts that we put out.”

Reporter

“Sir, in that regard, one of the crime-curbing strategies that you basically started was charging with gang membership.  How effective do you see that?”

Chester Williams

Chester Williams

“Well, it has been effective, not as effective as we would have wanted it to be, but the fact that we have had a number of these gang members convicted for the first offense, I am pretty sure that they don’t want to go to court with a second offense because I am almost convinced that should that occur, the magistrates are not going to be that lenient with them anymore, in the sense of issuing a fine.  But I am sure if they were to go back for a second offense the consequence will be incarceration.”