BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – COMMISSIONER OF POLICE Celvin ‘CG’ Walwyn has claimed that the overall crime rate in St. Kitts and Nevis has dropped, but former Minister of National Security Dwyer Astaphan disagreed with his statement.
“I have heard many arguments about the crime situation, however, as I have always stated, the stats are there to prove that overall, crime is down in the Federation.”
Commissioner Walwyn, who is currently on vacation, made this statement yesterday (Mar. 16) in a press release sent to various media houses in the Federation.
He offered condolences to the Stead family in the loss of one of their relatives, Malcolm Cozier, a.k.a Malcolm Dyer, who was shot on Saturday (Mar. 7) and died one week later, and spoke to the number of homicides committed prior to and during his tenure as Commissioner of Police.
“I was appointed at a time when the Federation was experiencing challenges with crime, to include homicides. In 2011 there were 35 homicides and prior to that the homicides exceeded numbers that have not been reached during the last three years.”
The Top Cop said success in the reduction of crime was vested in the hard work of the Joint Security Forces and “it is a milestone that cannot be challenged by even the harshest critics”.
This is not the first time that Walwyn had made such a statement and critics had disagreed with him. Astaphan was one of them and he had publicly stated statistics of his own in early December 2014.
Astaphan’s response to that statement was made on Tuesday, December 9, 2014, one day after the shooting-death of Gavin Whyte in Lime Kiln.
Not only did he criticise the Commissioner, but also the Dr. Douglas-led Labour Party Government, noting that “Law and Order” was that party’s 1995 Manifesto’s first order of business.
“After 19 years under Denzil Douglas, up to last night (Dec. 8) when Gavin Whyte was murdered, between July 1995 and last night there have been 265 murders and countless other crimes in St. Kitts and Nevis. Most unsolved and the murderers have become bolder, colder and more vicious and gruesome.”
He pointed out that statistics have proven that the average murder rate per year of St. Kitts and Nevis between 1995 and 2011 under retired Commissioners Calvin Fahie, Robert Jeffers and Austin Williams is less than that under Commissioner Walwyn.
“Now after hearing past Commissioners of Police get a lot of blows, look at what happened in this country since August 2011 when Celvin Walwyn was hired. Prior to Walwyn and between ’95 July and 2011 July there were 196 murders under Douglas; current average of about 12 murders a year. And for the 10 years prior to the arrival of Walwyn there were 171 murders; current average of 17 murders a year. However, between August 2011 and today (Dec. 8, 2014), that’s to say since Celvin Walwyn became the Commissioner, there have been 69 murders; current average of 21 murders per year.”
Astaphan is of the view that Commissioner Walwyn was being pampered and given more resources than his predecessors to fight crime.
“Remember, Walwyn is a Commissioner, and it almost seems that he is a part-time Commissioner, who’s been far more indulged and pampered, far more funding, far more pay and perks, far more tools, far more equipment and institutional support than all of his predecessors from Calvin Fahie down to Austin Williams. In fact, possibly more than all of them put together. And the Police Force, not to mention other security agencies, is more murders than ever, more political than ever.”
At that time in making his comments, Astaphan reminded of a pledge he claimed that the then Prime Minister Douglas made some 19 years ago.
“In 1995 Douglas pledged, and I quote: ‘The Labour Party is strongly committed to ending the vicious cycle of victimisation for political affiliation or association.’ And he said that no Public Service employee would be victimised or lose his or her job because of party support. And he promised to engage and appoint people in the Public Service on the basis not upon political affiliation but of merit. Did he mean what he said? Not at all, the thing is worse now than ever before!
The former Parliamentarian said that prior to the February 16 General Elections, he had heard Commissioner was attending and even speaking at political town halls.
He also stated that letters purportedly written by members of the Police Force had alleged that promotions inside the law institution and elsewhere were made on alliance than on merit and that “promotions being denied because people are perceived not to be wearing the politically approved gang colours...”
Directing his statement to Pastor Leroy Benjamin, Astaphan said: “This is not personal, but these things need to be said. We are seeing a man who the Court of Appeal said was guilty of misfeasance in public office in relation to his duties as Supervisor of Elections, we are seeing him not only retained as the Police Force Chaplain but being put in a uniform and made a Police Superintendent, as if to say to hell with the Court of Appeal and what the judges say.
“...We have seen the Police Service and the Public Service generally decimated by politics. And we have seen tampering with justice beyond imagination. The incumbents have departed 180 degrees away from what was promised in 1995.”
Despite those comments, however, Commissioner Walwyn is adamant that crime is down in St. Kitts and Nevis and declared that he had written a Strategic Plan for 2015-2020.
“Though this is only a guide, if followed by my successor or the Interim Commissioner of Police, we will see changes in the crime situation in the Federation. I urge the government to continue reaching out to our at-risk children by continuing the investment of the programs in place like TAPS, MAGIC and the Law Enforcement Explorers Program. I have also suggested that the government continue the dialogue that was started in places like McKnight and Cayon to reach our young men.”
Commissioner Walwyn also stated that regardless of the situation being experienced in the Federation, “we are still a very safe destination for guests from the cruise ships and the overnight guest industry”.
