“Put down the gun and rejoin society or it will be a fight to the finish,” Warner told a meeting at a basketball court here on Friday night in a fresh initiative by the authorities to bring an end to the gang violence that escalated over the last weekend resulting in the deaths of four people over a 48 hour period.

Police have increased their patrols in the area and the army has set up a presence and Warner told the meeting that efforts would be made to improve socio-economic conditions in the area that is traditionally seen as a stronghold of the main opposition People’s National Movement (PNM).