Dr. Gonsalves says “Associational Groupings,” Not Gangs

By Val Matthias. Updated 9:40 a.m., Tuesday, February 17, 2026, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).

Former Prime Minister and current Opposition Leader Dr. Ralph Gonsalves has reiterated his long held position that St. Vincent and the Grenadines does not have gangs in the formal sense, but rather “associational groupings” with fluid membership and limited structure.

His comments came during his weekly Morning Comrade programme, where he responded to questions about recent warnings from National Security Minister Major St. Clair Leacock that gangs such as “Sixx” and “Seven” have infiltrated schools across the country.

Gonsalves, who describes himself as a social scientist, argued that definitions of gangs vary internationally from the European Union to California and that local groupings do not meet the criteria of organised criminal organisations with rigid hierarchies and enforced obedience.

“There is no uniform definition of a gang… in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, there are associational groupings,” he said. “They have a certain fluidity. They don’t have the co- discipline as you would normally associate with gangs and reprisals which would take against somebody if they were to withdraw.”

He acknowledged, however, that some of these groups are linked to criminal activity and that intelligence on them remains insufficient. During his tenure as Prime Minister, Dr. Gonsalves said measures were introduced to address emerging trends in schools, including assigning an assistant superintendent of police to the Ministry of Education and placing counsellors in secondary schools. “We have been dealing with these matters,” he added, suggesting that current officials should build on rather than present them as new initiatives.

Minister of National security Major Saint Clair Leacock, who recently described gang infiltration in schools as a “national crisis,” has warned that the problem extends beyond secondary and community college students, with reports of gang activity even in primary schools. He has pledged to use “all legal means” to dismantle criminal networks.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Trevor Bailey stated last year that gangs are indeed active in St. Vincent, pointing to evidence of command structures and assigned duties within certain groups.

As concerns grow over youth involvement in crime, the issue of whether St. Vincent faces a gang problem or an informal set of criminal associations remains contested.

What is clear is that both government and opposition figures agree on the need for stronger intelligence, school based interventions, and community engagement to address the growing risks.

END