BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – A united approach is needed in the fight to combat the growing crime problem facing St. Kitts and Nevis, which has already left 16 people for this year.
The Federation’s law enforcement agencies have been working tirelessly around the clock to stem the violence, but it continues unabatedly with the most recent being the shooting of a man today (Jun. 21) in Ottley’s Village.
Member of Parliament Hon. Marcella Liburd, during an exclusive interview, told SKNVibes that for some time now the Opposition has been asking and offering to sit down with the Government so that a “united front be presented to the public on crime”.
The Parliamentary Representative for Constituency Two stressed that crime is one issue that should not be used as a political football, adding, “As I have said repeatedly, bullets have no eyes. They are not going to pick out which side it would support politically.
“And so we believe that that is one of the things that can be done in order to have a full-court press on crime. If the Government would lead and say let us come together and present something to the public as a united front and help fight crime, it might go somewhere.”
Many people, including Opposition Leader the Rt. Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas and Senior Minister of Health Hon. Eugene Hamilton, recently stated that the face of crime is changing in St. Kitts and Nevis.
That statement comes against the backdrop of two women being killed in Nevis over the last several months and the death of 17-year-old Leanna Napoleon, whose decomposing body was discovered in a shallow grave in the Olivees Mountain area.
“I want to point out the change in the face of crime, where more and more women are now being gunned down. And this is not in domestically violence situations really. When Arlene Nisbett was gunned down on duty doing her business, we were in shock. I can’t recall, before that, another business woman gunned down in that fashion.
“And so we have seen four other murders since from females and I really believe that we are at a moral crisis in the country that also needs to be addressed.
“Once ago, people used to figure that women were looked at in a certain way, and that is not the case now,” she added.
Law enforcement officers are working assiduously to fix the problem, with the Police Commissioner, Ian Queeley, taking to radio stations and through commercials to ask persons to lay down their guns.
The Federation’s detection rate continues to be very low and sleuths are pushing to assure the public of their safety and security.
“There are a number of angles that we would have to fight it from,” Liburd said. “One of which I said is that there seems to be a moral crisis. And I am concerned that next it might be children because, apparently, it doesn’t matter who it is.”
The Parliamentarian reiterated that she believes unity is needed in the fight to combat the scourge of crime, noting that “we can fight about other things but in terms of crime we need to have a united front presented to the public”.
