By Lesroy W. Williams Observer Reporter
lesroywilliams@thestkittsnevisobserver.com (Basseterre, St. Kitts)”In their efforts to stem the rising crime rate in the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis, the Police continue their efforts to build trust and confidence at the community level. “”The world and the region have seen phenomenal increases in deviant behavior and crime. The region has had its share of both traditional and non-traditional crime and antisocial behavior.” All of which threatens our development and growth,” Mr. Austin Williams, Commissioner of Police of the St. Kitts-Nevis Police Force said at a press conference to address crime on July 22. Many decent and law-abiding citizens in the Federation are disgusted with the alarming crime rate brought about by undesirable behavior among young people and poor exemplary behavior by some adults. Having done away with the sugar industry, the Federation is focusing its efforts on the tourism industry. However, at the rate at which things are going in terms of criminal activity, it can threaten the very livelihood of the people in the Federation. Mr. Williams said that the Police are trying their best in dealing with the crime situation given their limited resources. Despite the limited resources, the Commissioner underscored that collaboration between the Police and the community is one of the most important and indispensable tools in the fight against crime.” “Our job of preventing, detecting and prosecuting crime involves collaboration among states, and more importantly, on the local level, it involves collaboration between law enforcement and the community,” Commissioner Williams said.”” However, many people are not coming forward with information into criminal offences, especially murders committed in the Federation because of a climate of fear and skepticism that information given to the Police would not be treated confidentially. Some of the new initiatives that the Police are hoping to implement for the rest of 2008 include CCTV monitoring in Basseterre, the use of marked Police vehicles in all communities to improve police visibility, partnering with corporate sponsors in reaching out to sports clubs and teams, and liaising with schools especially through the Parent’s Teacher’s Association (P.T.A).”” “In this age of globalization, we can ill afford to work as separate entities, but rather seek to achieve our common objectives through the sharing of information and intelligence and the conduct of joint operations,” the Commissioner noted.””
