And it was alcohol consumption that led to the orgy of violence that occurred over the weekend in the depths of the Krooman Lagoon - which is a squatter community on the periphery of a wetland.
Several members of a family were chopped by four men - brothers who have been terrorizing the residents in that community. But today, the police department made its first few steps towards controlling crime in Krooman.
The commissioner had a meet and greet session there where he heard the concerns of community members and has now ensured that there will be constant police presence throughout the London Bridge paths that populate the area. Courtney Menzies was there this morning and has this story.
After this weekend's spree of violence inside the Krooman Lagoon area, the Commissioner of Police and other senior officers went trekking on London Bridges and deep into swamps to speak to the residents with the goal of creating a safe environment. But it's not going to be easy with members of the MS13 gang exercising area control. But the ComPol explained the beginning steps that the police department is taking.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"We have also erected a police tent within this area so we can maintain police presence. We understand that due to the area, it is difficult for police to come and patrol in vehicles. And so we have also inserted a foot patrol that we'll be doing patrol along the London Bridge within this particular area to ensure that the residents of this particular area are safe."
And he's hoping the residents will grow to trust the police enough to confide in them after being terrorized by these gang members for years. According to the most recent victim of a chopping incident - who also lost her home in a blaze, everyone in the area is affected when the gang members don't get their way.
Violet Singh, Victim of Chopping
"The problem is that the guys they want to run people like if they don't like you or if they ask you for anything you don't give them or deal with them in a bad way, they will threaten them and harass the people but people are afraid to report it because if they catch one then the others will come and do something."
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"Well, concerns is that there's a certain group of young men who seemingly want to be in charge of the area. They want to control everything, including water supplies. And what we get to understand is that when they're not happy to turn out the water supply and nobody have water within the area because from what I'm told, it is not WASA or BWS that controls the water supply. It is a particular person or a family. And so whenever they're not happy to just turn off the water system and people are left without water. So those are things that needs to be looked at from a governmental standpoint."
"One of the discussion I had with the mother of some of those who are involved. I said to her that the information is that her sons are the leaders of a particular gang in this area. And as a parent she need to do what she can to speak to her children. So that they desist from doing what it is that they continue to do to intimidate people. Yes, she shy away from what I had said to her, but at the same time did not deny the fact. And so it is something that we are looking into."
And after losing everything she owned - and watching her own mother get chopped by these men - Singh is pleading with her neighbors in the area to come forward.
Violet Singh, Victim of Chopping
"Whatever information we have we're trying to share with them so they could get the guys because we don't need to run, I know I don't want to move from here, I want make my house and continue my life back again but we just want those guys get deal, police deal with the guys so we could feel safe."
"I'm the one who's talking now because I'm left homeless because of them and that's what hurting me, they left my kids and my family with nothing. And I'm asking the people if they could please say anything, give information, to please do it so we could catch those guys because it's not a lot of them but if we leave it to pass what they did to us, they will get bigger and then what happen? They will come and run everything."
"Yes I'm afraid but we all have to be strong, I have to be strong and then hat else they could do? I have my family and I will secure them because what else they could do to me? I don't have anything."
But the ComPol says it might take some time for that trust to be built between the police and the community.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"Well, obviously there is still tension. People have been hurt severely and we don't expect the tension will go away overnight. And so we do believe that police intervention by way of arrest must be a part of that intervention. We are still having difficulty getting cooperation from the victims of the chopping, but we believe that we'll be able to get the cooperation eventually and we'll be able to bring charges in the first instance for the incident that took place over the weekend. And then we can look at a more long term solution by bringing charges of gang charges against those members who believe a part of the instruction that."
And for those who are irregular migrants causing mayhem, the ComPol says the commander operations is looking at how to get them back to their own country.
But progress is being made because the residents say they already feel safer and are hoping to come together to build a booth to replace the police's tent.
And while our team had trouble crossing the London Bridges, the police also have a drone to do flyover patrols in hard to reach areas.
