BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE Government of St. Kitts and Nevis has taken umbrage at a very misleading report conjured by a BBC Newsday reporter, who has painted a grave picture of the crime situation in the twin-island Federation.
This is according to a communiqué issued today (Jun. 18) by the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force (RSCNPF).
The misleading information, which was aired in a BBC Newsday report on Sunday (Jun. 14) and rebroadcast by two local media houses, describes St. Kitts and Nevis as one of “the most dangerous places on the planet”.
The BBC Newsday reporter, Nick Davis, said that he was reporting from St. Kitts, a small nation with one of the highest murder rates per capita in the world.
The communiqué reads: “The BBC News-day reporter conjured up a negative image of a nation where residents and visitors need to be overly concerned about their safety. The impression one would get from listening to this unfortunate piece of journalism is that our twin-island federation, that many residents and visitors call ‘two islands one paradise’ and which many investors and reputable business journalists refer to as ‘the sweet spot of the Caribbean’, has rampant crime. The facts are that major crimes are falling in our country.”
The RSCNPF has informed that the Federation receives over one million visitors annually and the incidence of crime against visitors is extremely rare.
To substantiate the fact that major crimes are on a downward trend, the Public Relations Department of the RSCNPF has provided comparative statistics of major crimes recorded for the five-month period January 1 to May 31 in the years 2013, 2014 and 2015.
In 2013 there were 794 major crimes, while 511 were recorded in 2014 and 342 in 2015.
The RSCNPF explained that major crimes are Homicide, Break-in, Larceny, Robbery, Wounding, Malicious Damage/Arson, and Drugs and Firearm-related offences.
“The facts reveal that over the 3-year period 2013 to 2015, major crimes are down almost 60%.
We have the full support in our fight against crime from the new administration that took office just over 4 months ago. The Police High Command has put in place a crime fighting plan that enhances our community outreach activities in an effort to root out the criminal elements amongst us,” the communiqué states.
It also states that the safety and security of residents and visitors are matters accorded top priority.
“Our country has hosted several major events already this year without any incident of crime,” it further states. “These include the Carifta Games, the Association of Caribbean Commissioners of Police (ACCP) Conference, the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) Board of Governors Conference and the TRADEWINDS hemispheric security training exercises. These events attracted persons from all walks of life and many different countries. Be assured that the same high standards of security will be maintained throughout the upcoming events.”
The Police Force is informing that in the next two weeks the Federation would be host to two major events that would provide entertainment for millions of people around the world.
“The popular St. Kitts Music Festival, an annual event that is the premier summer music festival in the Caribbean, will again showcase top international artistes performing before thousands of music loving fans; and the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) T20 cricket, an annual Caribbean event viewed by hundreds of millions of cricket loving fans around the world enjoying the best that the game has to offer. It is noteworthy that more CPL matches will be played in St. Kitts and Nevis than in any other Caribbean country,” the Force says are the two major events.
The communiqué notes that the RSCNPF takes the security of everyone in the Federation very seriously and gives assurance to all residents and visitors that they could expect the highest levels of protection from the Police Force.
The BBC Newsday report has sparked a wave of debates on the local airwaves with some people suggesting that it was a deliberate attempt by Nick Davis to tarnish the Federation’s image, especially at a time when the Government is making efforts to reform the Citizenship-by-Investment Programme.
