Could the PIV/BLC Bloodbath have been Prevented?

Chester Williams

Could the police department, particularly the officers assigned to the Mahogany Street Precinct, have prevented the recent eruption of gang violence in Lake Independence?  ComPol Williams says he won’t play the blame game where that is concerned, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on the number of officers on active duty.

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“I’m not going to indict the officers for what happened in the Martin’s area.  I guess we all know the dynamics of St. Martin’s, it is a very clustered community that is infested with gang members and rivaling gangs, so much so that they are living among each other and it is extremely hard for the police to be able to control whenever the gang situation manifests itself in that area due to the close proximity within which they live.  I know for a fact that in Eastern Division the officers have been doing a lot with a view to try and keep the gang situation at an extreme minimal.  But with the advent of COVID, Mr. Rosado will tell you that he is unable to meet his daily deployment demand because a number of officers are out due to the COVID pandemic.  And so we have discussed through the minister and the Ministry of Health to see how, when it comes to police officers that we don’t go through this whole waiting two weeks for a result when the test is done, that it is done more quicker, that way those officers who go for testing if it is that they are negative within a day or two we could have them back at work as opposed to two to three weeks.”