Young Males displaying ‘Gangsterism’ attitudes, Senior Investigator Concerned

The country’s chief crime investigator has expressed concern about the ‘gangster-ism’ attitude being displayed by young men, and their willingness to live a life of crime.

Assistant Commissioner of Police with responsibility for crime, Trevor ‘Buju’ Bailey shared this concern as he spoke about threats he received in relation to a homicide investigation. ACP Bailey disclosed during a police press briefing on May, 26,2025 that he had personally received a threatening phone call about the investigation into the triple-homicide which occurred at Belmont on Friday, May 16, 2025.

Police recently charged 25-year-old Kesron Ryan, a Lowmans Leeward resident, on three counts of murder in the shooting deaths of 38-year-old labourer, Haydon Ballantyne; 68-year-old agricultural trader, Leslyn Davis; and 30-year-old labourer, Bancroft Abbot. He also is facing three additional charges for attempted murder of three other persons who were shot in the same incident.

In a follow-up interview on Hot 97 FM on May, 27,2025, ACP Bailey said he considered the threat made by the unknown caller as a “waste of time and waste of breath”.

The senior officer turned his focus during the interview instead to some worrying trends he said he has recognized while carrying out interviews with suspected criminals.

“When you speak to them they say ‘if I plead guilty for this I’ll do a 25’ [year sentence]. They calculate their discounts, they calculate their good behaviour and say ‘I will do 14 flat’. They do that,” ACP Bailey disclosed.

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