VIEUX-FORT police have described the recently-held carnival activities in Vieux-Fort as “violent free”.
According to Inspector MarcellinusLeonce of the Vieux-Fort Police Station, the activities were devoid of violence due to the vigilance of the police. He said they adopted a proactive approach to the situation which kept the troublemakers at bay.
“We heard of the possibility of gang violence, so we put certain things in place to prevent it. We had no major violent incident. We were well prepared,” Leonce said.
He added that there was just one report of a squabble between two females, in which police intervened.
Leonce said there was heavy police presence during all the activities, adding that some police officers were placed at strategic locations while others followed the bands throughout their entire route.
Suspected members of gangs were quite visible “jamming” behind the trucks during the final lap of the celebrations, which have been described as lacking by many.
According to Leonce, the situation was quite different last year, with many violent incidents occurring.
“Last year, it was gangs against gangs. We had many crimes to deal with,” Leonce said.
He added that, in general, there was more crime in Vieux Fort last year than this year for the same period.