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GI3, What Will Make It Different From GSU
posted (January 4, 2021)
Last week, we told you how the Police Commissioner had disbanded the GSU and the Anti-Gang Task Force.

These efforts of these 2 units will now be consolidated into 1 new unit called the GI3, or the Gang intelligence, Investigation and Interdiction Unit. This formation of this new unit took effect on New Year's Day, and it will be commanded by Senior Superintendent Linden Flowers.

Today, the press asked the Commissioner about what these changes actually mean for the operation of the unit formerly known as the GSU.

The public seems to have accepted that there is the need for a police unit that gets tough on gangs where appropriate. The problem is that the GSU's hard-charging tactics often left the targets of their police raids battered and bruised. The immediate family members of the alleged gang members have bitterly and consistently complained to the media that GSU members would use excessive force and brutality as part of their dominance over the suspected criminals. The commissioner told the press today that there will be a vetting committee that will look into the backgrounds of officers who want to be members of the GI3. Here's how he explained it:

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"We had the disbandment of two units, the Gang Suppression Unit and the Anti-Gang Task Force. Subsequent to that we created one unit which encompasses both of those units, the GI3 which stands for Gang Intelligence Investigation and Interdiction Unit. That unit will the tasked primarily with ensuring that the gangs across the city and country are investigated from an intelligence standpoint. In the new unit, we have an intelligence cell, an investigative arm and operational arm. The intelligence cell goes out and gathers the intelligence on these gangs, the investigative cell investigate the gangs with a view to ensure that we charge gang members for the gang related offenses under the crime control and act. Then interdiction or operation arm is out there in the face of the gangs on a daily basis ensuring that they do not get the opportunity to commit the crime that they may wish to commit. I want the public to be assured, I've seen people complaining about 'why disband the GSU at this time.' While the GSU has been disbanded there is still a unit out there that is going to be doing the same work that the GSU was doing but from a more professional and targeted level to ensure that when we go after these gang members, that they are gang members and with a view to ensure that we don't only go after them but gather intelligence and evidence we can charge them with to send them to prison."

Reporter
"Sir, is there going to be changes in terms of how these men operate? Because I think that is one of the biggest issues, the fact that our people had issues with how GSU would go and break down people's doors and do what they want. Is this outside of just changing their name? Is there going to be changes in their training and the way how they operate?"

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"Well like you heard what I said just a while ago, they will be doing what the GSU did in a more professional standpoint. In DBS, we have to re-focus in terms of the attitude of officers who are in this unit. This is the reason why every officer who works within the GI3 unit, must be properly vetted, meaning that we are going to do our own background check on these officers to ensure that they do not have that propensity of abusing human rights. Once an officer who wish to go to that unit fails that vetting, then he or she will be disqualified from going there."

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