By Lesroy W. Williams

Observer Reporter

(Basseterre, St. Kitts)—In a response to several recent gang-related murders since the start of the year, Prime Minister Dr. Denzil Douglas said that gang violence is creating a blot on the good name of St. Kitts and Nevis and has called on the full mobilization of the Police and Defence Forces and all sectors of the society to work in combating the scourge of crime.

Since the start of 2009, there have been seven murders, three of them happening in three days that have sent shockwaves throughout the country.

“There will be a special effort on our part to arrest this gang violence which is creating a blot on the good name of the country,” Dr. Douglas said at his monthly press conference on March 4, flanked by a member of the High Command of the Police and Defence Force, Deputy Prime Minister, Sam Condor and other government officials.

With 23 murders in 2008 and the rapid rate of murders for 2009, crime threatens to undermine the newly-found tourism industry and the small-island economy of St. Kitts and Nevis. It threatens community spirit and fellowship and puts citizens under constraint.

Bearing all this in mind, Dr. Douglas said that his government is trying to implement programs and work with the law enforcement agencies and other organizations within civil society to curb criminal activity.

“I ask for all to be vigilant at this time. Let us more than ever before be our own brother’s keeper,” he said.

“I emphasize that we have overcome serious situations in the past and with God’s help, guidance, love and with the support of our community and one and all, we as a people, the proud and determined people of St. Kitts and Nevis, we shall overcome,” he said.

He said that the issue of crime should not be politicized but that political parties must work together to stamp out the cancer.

“I would hate to think that with such a serious challenge to us as a nation, we would want party political rancor and blame to be brought into this picture. This is too serious a national challenge for us to put within the crucible of party politics and I would hate to think that anyone who understands the situation as it is unfolding will want to blame any political party whatsoever for the serious challenge that we are facing today,” Dr. Douglas said.

In December 2008, the government convened a National Consultation on Crime and a task force has since then been put into place to implement some of the suggestions and ideas from that forum.

One such outcome has been the Youth Empowerment through Skills (YES) program that was launched a few weeks ago. The program is designed to provide unemployed youths with a skill and target areas of human development. The program caters for 500 young people.

However, some feel that the YES program, although praiseworthy, does not reach the most troubled persons entrenched in gang-related activity. With a turf-war going on, a number of young persons are prisoners in their communities and would not dare venture out to other communities.

“We are trying to get into the communities; it is not a question of people trying to sign up. In fact, we are trying to see if we could go out into the communities to sign up people, to reach these people. That is part of the orientation, so we understand that perfectly. The program is structured in that way to address that issue,” Deputy Prime Minister Sam Condor said in addressing the issue of those young persons held hostage by turf wars.

With a proliferation of illegal guns on the streets, an emerging culture of “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” which is tantamount to a conspiracy of silence and a climate of fear, the Police are having difficulty arresting and charging persons for these heinous crimes.

Police confidentiality and an amicable relationship between the Police and communities are crucial to solving crime and Dr. Douglas has called on the Police to employ professionalism in their work.

The government is offering a reward of EC$10,000.00 leading to the arrest and trial of persons involved in these recent homicides and a monetary reward of between EC$500-1000 leading to the recovery of any firearm and highest priority in terms of the amount of the reward will be given in the recovery of firearms used in the committal of any crime.

“I believe that there should be a concerted joint approach, collaborative approach, not only among the political parties but among all stakeholders in the country in fighting crime and in particular in addressing the situation as it is today. Obviously, the Police Force alone cannot do it; the Defence Force alone cannot do it. The Anti-Gang Unit that we have been mobilizing over the last few months cannot do it alone. The necessary supportive intelligence unit that has worked hand in hand with the anti-gang unit cannot do it alone. It takes all of us.

“It takes our brothers and sisters, our aunts and our uncles, our parents, our dads and our moms, it takes the church and the entire community because it is only when the entire country and community is mobilized actively pursuing a national policy in fighting crime that we shall eventually overcome and succeed,” Dr. Douglas said.