By Elesha George
A truce between two rival gangs was reached on Thursday night after Prime Minister Gaston Browne held a meeting with the 2Drilly gang and the Grays Farm Killers. Browne, who appeared on state TV surrounded by the gang members – some of whom were masked — told the groups that he hoped the truce would lead to “lasting peace”.
“As a society, we should have stepped in long before,” he told the gangs, who sported members as young as 14 years old. “In hindsight, I should have engaged you [2Drilly] earlier and from that standpoint I do apologise. Admittingly, I was concerned about all of the ridicule that I would have gotten because it’s like déjà vu for me.”
According to the Prime Minister, 23 years ago he also had to assist in dismantling the infamous Red Shirt gang in order to bring an end to violent attacks that included stabbings and maiming and to reform the group.
“Poverty is not an excuse for crime,” Browne warned, as he addressed the group of youngsters, many of whom have already dropped out of high school.
As part of the peace deal, Browne introduced several initiatives aimed at rehabilitating gang members and providing them with opportunities to transform their lives. The Youth Education & Empowerment Programme (YEEP) and the Harrison Centre, formerly known as ABICE, will offer gang members the chance to complete their education, learn trades, and pursue employment or entrepreneurship. However, these opportunities come with a clear condition—the violence must end.
“The programmes we are creating for you, they cannot occur in the current dispensation of violence,” Browne noted. He warned the members against taking their violent behaviours to the institutions they have committed to attending.
Browne said while the wish is that all of the members become productive citizens, his government is not naïve in its approach. “I am not under any illusion that we can solve the gang problem in this country overnight. I am not under any illusion that we’re going to get the cooperation of all of you.”
However, he warned that the authorities will be “very hard” on those who do not wish to rehabilitate themselves.
He also pointed out that when parliament meets next Tuesday, the government plans to increase the maximum penalties for gun crimes from 10 years to 25 years and the minimum from two years to five years. Even loitering will be penalised, Browne noted.
“If you are found aimlessly around the place loitering as a person who is underage, you will be violating the law and you will be subjected to a fine and possible confinement where there is repeat offences.” Additionally, a 10pm to 6am curfew will be implemented for juveniles under the age of 18.
The two groups have reportedly agreed to participate in a football match as a gesture end to the warfare. The match is expected to be held sometime today at The Turf on Sir Sydney Walling Highway.
“The gang warfare that was taking place among these groups, I believe that will come to an end,” Browne concluded after Thursday night’s meeting.
