An iron barricade erected at the entrance of Hell Yard at Beetham Gardens has been removed after police intervened and spoke to the gang leader who constructed it.
The barricade, which blocked access into Hell Yard, one of the most depressed areas in Beetham Gardens, was manned by people who only allowed residents into the community.
The matter was highlighted in the T&T Guardian on September 21 after complaints were made by residents and police offices patrolling along the Priority Bus Route.
Officers of the Inter-Agency Task Force were deployed to deal with the matter and they were able to reason with gang leader and an agreement was made for him to remove the barrier without any criminal charges being filed against him, sources said. T&T Guardian understands that the barricade was removed sometime over the weekend.
Senior police officers said if the situation remained unchecked it could turn into what obtained in neighbouring Jamaica where gang leaders have taken control of certain communities.
Speaking with the T&T Guardian yesterday, Senior Superintendent of the Port-of-Spain Division, McDonald Jacob, confirmed the officers found out who was the person responsible and said they met with him on it. Asked if any charges would be laid, Jacob replied: “No.”
When the T&T Guardian visited the area yesterday there was no barricade and vehicles were allowed to pass freely.
One resident, who asked not to be identified, said some residents in the area were not pleased about the T&T Guardian’s “make out scene.”
“The paper put we up. We just safeguarding we self and boom an article on the papers and then we have to move the barricade that protecting us,” the resident said.
Residing beyond the barricade is said to be one of Beetham’s most influential gang leaders and who, residents said, was responsible for erecting the barricade. The gang leader, holds a senior position in the Rasta City Gang and controls turf in Beetham Gardens and Port-of-Spain.
In the previous article, councillor at the San Juan/Laventille Regional Corporation, Franz “Delamo” Lambkin, said checks revealed that the erection of the barrier was not approved by the corporation or the Town and Country Division.