Jack Warner denies offering jobs to gangsters

(Trinidad Express) National Security Minister Jack Warner yesterday denied making any promises to gang leaders in exchange for more peace in high risk areas.

He was responding to a claim by Port of Spain Mayor Louis Lee Sing that he (Warner) had promised gang leaders 100 jobs in the Laventille area.

Warner said, “a few days ago” he received the promised report from Office of Law Enforcement Policy (OLEP) director Keith Renaud following a meeting with gang leaders and it did contain requests for jobs and sporting programmes in those areas.

Warner said he would be looking into providing those “soft options” in those depressed communities.

“But we won’t sit down and say I giving you a job, put down your firearm, I giving you two jobs put down two firearms, we not doing that,” he said.

“They asked for certain kinds of attention in terms of sustainable jobs and a better understanding with the police and more attention to their infrastructure.

“They were saying that they were desirous of putting down their guns and so on,” Warner said.

Warner said he told Renaud that he was not negotiating with gang leaders and if they wanted to put down their guns then they were free to do so.

“We shall not in any way sit down and say quid pro quo, we will not do that and that is the end of the matter,” Warner said.

He once again denied knowing that he was meeting with any gang leaders at a meeting with Port of Spain Mayor Louis Lee Sing at the mayoral office two weeks ago.

“Our policy differs tremendously from the PNM (People’s National Movement) because they meet them in Balisier House, we don’t meet them in Rienzi, they meet them in Crowne Plaza, we don’t meet them anywhere,” he said.

“The Government does not negotiate with gang leaders,” he stressed.

“There will be no concessions made with criminals at the end of the day.”