These clashes have resulted in the death of several persons and extensive damage to properties of suspected relatives and associates of rival gang members, law enforcement sources said yesterday.

They said the recent spate of inter-gang rivalry followed the execution of Buxton businessman and popular gas station owner, Brian Hamilton, last month.

The killers are suspected to be hiding out in a section of Buxton which has been under siege by criminals linked to the gang of five dangerous prisoners who fled the Georgetown Prison on February 23 last year, the sources said. Three members of that gang have been shot dead.

The security sources believe there are several reasons for the latest inter-gang clashes.

They said one contributory factor is the suspicion that some members of the criminal operation have been providing critical information, which led to the recent interdiction of several of their colleagues.

Another reason posited is the harassment of relatives and associates of known criminals by other criminal elements.

A third reason, according to the sources, could be fractured relations resulting from dissatisfaction among criminal elements engaged in joint criminal enterprises.

They said the clashes which erupted last week suggest retaliatory actions being taken by some criminals whose interests have been adversely affected by other criminal activities.

The officials said such activities may well see innocent persons being placed in jeopardy.

They noted that law enforcement agencies, already under intense pressure to fight crime, now have to deal with this new dimension that has been seen in Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica.