The law has taken its course in the release of 21 men from Nelson Street, Port-of-Spain, Minister of National Security Brigadier John Sandy has said.The men were ordered to be released by Senior Magistrate Marcia Ayers-Caesar after gang-related charges against them were dropped by Director of Public Prosecutions Roger Gaspard.The men were charged under Section 5 (1) of the recently-passed Anti-Gang Act, as being members of a gang, namely the Nelson Street Gang.Sandy delivered the feature address at the opening ceremony of the Fourth Biennial Meeting of Caribbean National Observatories on Drugs held at Kapok Hotel, Port-of-Spain, yesterday.He, however, sent a stern warning to the men to keep away from trouble and avoid future brushes with the law. "If the law has taken its course, I'm no attorney myself but we we'll see how it goes with respect to that aspect," Sandy said.He said if any of the young men were "innocent," he would be happy to know that they were released.Maintaining that law enforcement bodies were not seeking out innocent people to detain them, Sandy said: "Certainly my intention is not to have them arrest anyone who is innocent."We have observed in the last three weeks-plus in the Laventille, Nelson Street, Beetham and Sea Lots areas we have had no homicides," he added.
He urged the young men and the communities to "keep the areas like that.""If it is that these young men have gone back into the areas and can keep it like that, I would be so very happy."If there are citizens in those areas who could control those young men and keep them out of trouble I would be even happier," Sandy said.He said during a state of emergency, it was the prerogative of law enforcement officers to rearrest people via a detention order.Sandy said: "I am not saying it will be used. I am saying it can be used. It is there to be used and if the need arises, it can be used."Asked if he expected more young men who were detained by the police to be released, Sandy said that was left up to the court.Earlier, in delivering his address at the conference, Sandy said since the 1980s, T&T and the region had witnessed an unprecedented upsurge in the prevalence of illicit drug use, mainly cocaine and marijuana, and more recently the increase in serious crimes, with murder featuring prominently."Our country sits as a prime trans-shipment point for drugs that are deposited into the larger metropolitan countries," he said."However, we are also experiencing increasing numbers of substance abusers."Saying that the Government would not shrink from its responsibility and allow negative influences to take over law-abiding citizens, Sandy added: "A society can only be viewed as developed if its people live in a secure environment and view themselves safe in their homes."If we as a Government do not seek to provide this for all citizens then we have failed our society," he said.