By NALINEE SEELAL Thursday, March 27 2008

More than 50 percent of the members of 86 criminal gangs that operate in the country are employed with the Unemployment Relief Programme (URP), CEPEP (Community Environmental Protection and Enhancement Programme) and the construction industry.

This was revealed yesterday by senior police officers who added that the gang members hold down jobs in these social-sector programmes during the day and under the cover of darkness at night carry out crimes.

Newsday has learned that officers attached to the Repeat Offenders Programme (Rope), which is based at the Besson Street Police Station, have a database with the names of gang leaders and their members. The database includes a list of those who are employed with the URP and CEPEP.

Police statistics indicate that an estimated 100 persons killed as a result of gang violence, since 2002, were either URP supervisors, foremen, contractors or workmen. Laventille has an estimated 25 gangs and many of the gang-related killings that have taken place since 2001 have occurred along the East/West Corridor.

Although figures from the Homicide Bureau revealed that three of the 94 murder victims for this year were URP labourers, investigators believe other victims also had links with the URP and CEPEP.

In 2007, 40 of the 388 people murdered were URP employees, according to police statistics. The URP programme employs an estimated 20,000 persons. In a bid to address concerns that young URP employees may be linked to criminal activity, training for persons on the URP register has been transferred to the government programmes such as the Multisector Skills Training Programme.

On Tuesday, Minister of National Security Martin Joseph said criminal gangs may be fighting over state-funded social programmes. During a news conference, Joseph was asked if criminal gangs were fighting over contracts in the social service programmes and answered, “it is possible, it is very possible.” Assistant Police Commissioner in charge of crime Steve Waldron said the claim is being investigated.

“Anything is possible and the police are carrying out their own investigations to ascertain how deeply involved gang members are with URP and CEPEP,” he said yesterday.

Police sources said that murder gang leaders like Mark Guerra, Kerwin “Fresh” Phillip, Sheldon “Crock” Scott, Glenroy “Abdul Malick” Charles and Salim “Small Salim” Rasheed, had amassed millions of dollars collectively through the URP and refurbishing projects undertaken by the former National Housing Authority.

In 2006, PNM councillor Bert Allette was murdered in Belmont after raising objections about ghost gangs in a URP project. A suspect in the killing had reportedly been in charge of a $2 million government project. On February 22 this year, Justice Anthony Carmona, in a criminal case judgment, said there was “rank criminality” in the URP which needs to be addressed by the authorities.