ROOTING OUT GANG VIOLENCE

Jul 19, 2016 Editorial, Features / Columnists

There are several gangs in various communities in Guyana that are posing serious threats to the stability of society. ‘Hire for murder’ gangs are perhaps the most dangerous, more than those involved in other criminal activities such as armed robberies. But all gangs are dangerous because most are involved in crimes and turf warfare. Innocent citizens are often caught in the crossfire.
Communities in which gang activity is most prevalent have very high concentrations of poverty and joblessness and very poor coordination of government services and community organizations. Studies have shown that the risk of becoming involved in criminal activities is greater in those communities that experience high levels of social exclusion or a lack of social cohesion.
This is not new to those in authority whose responsibility is to foster a safe environment for all to live in peace and harmony and without fear of being robbed or killed. It is also the responsibility of the government to create jobs and reduce poverty in those poor communities. The safety of the citizens should be the highest priority for the government and the police.
Gang members collectively identify themselves by adopting a group identity which they use to create an atmosphere of fear or intimidation frequently by employing one or more of the following: a common name, slogan, symbol, tattoo or other physical markings, such as color of clothing, hairstyle or hand sign.
Gangs are formed with the sole purpose to engage in criminal activities and would use violence or intimidation to further their objectives. Its members engage in these illegal activities with the intent to enhance or preserve the power of the gang and its reputation.
Gangs are an entrenched feature in schools and of the wider community which require a multi-faceted approach to root them out. It cannot simply be a matter of deploying military personnel when violence erupts. The presence of army officials should be a last resort since the military’s mode of operation is not conducive to the civilian environment and, arguably, adds more risks to beleaguered communities.
Understanding the purpose of gangs should make for the government and the police to develop strategies towards their prevention. Prevention efforts should include job-training and placement, police, the mobilization of parents and neighborhood groups and identifying community resources to serve youths.
This type of community intervention would help to empower youths and reduce the likelihood of those who are poor and jobless to become involved in gang related violence.
Community-based crime prevention is effective whether the community is directly involved or targeted. Communities may play a direct role by laying the foundation for long term crime control. However, for a community intervention strategy to succeed, key partnerships are required.
The police must work together with the people, especially the youths to suppress gang activity by gathering information from them and their contacts. Further, local government agencies and organizations and community-based resources must be tailored to support youths and promote nonviolent activities in the neighborhood.
The strategy must also involve parents in prevention activities and other residents concerned about gang-related violence and the need to have a permanent presence of the police and other security personnel in high-risk areas in order to curb the galloping crime activity by gangs.
However, there are obstacles to setting up partnerships in communities to solve gang related criminal activities. Communities beset by gang-related violence may be less inclined to develop stable and effective partnerships with the police. And if they do, those partnerships must be built on trust and through sustained effort and clear policies regarding officers’ responsibilities to residents.
Some residents may be reluctant to become involved in violence-prevention projects out of fear of reprisals from gang members. The government, the police and security agencies have to lead the way in an all society approach to root out these gangs which are doing untold damage to society.

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