BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - IN an effort to rid the streets of illegal firearms and in keeping with the Six-Point Plan in their fight against crime, members of the Federation’s Security Forces are regularly seen conducting Stop and Search Operations in various communities.
One of their most recent operations was conducted on Friday evening (Aug. 14) along the Island’s Main Road in the vicinity of the Joseph N France General Hospital.
This publication had observed during the operation when a rental car, driven by a young male, was stopped by the law enforcement officers and all of its occupants were asked to disembark.
With arms raised, the occupants got out of the vehicle and were thoroughly searched.
Members of the security forces were witnessed questioning the driver, after which they proceeded to search the vehicle in a very meticulous manner.
SKNVibes questioned one member of the security forces who was at the time directing traffic, to find out if they had stopped that particular vehicle based on a tip-off of some illegal activity.
In response, the officer calmly said, “No, we were not. We are just doing our job.”
Although the search did not reveal anything illegal and the operation, to some degree, had disrupted the flow of traffic, bystanders and even some drivers expressed how pleased they were with the efforts of the security forces.
In recent times there have been a number of armed robberies and homicides which led to increased police presence in some communities.
This was evident prior to and during the August Monday holiday weekend when units of the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force collaborated with personnel from the St. Kitts-Nevis Defence Force in the launch of an operation nicknamed “Operation Vigilance” on both islands of the Federation.
Commenting on that operation, Assistant Commissioner Vaughan Henderson had said: “We have made it clear to the criminals and persons with criminal intent that we are serious about reducing crime in our Federation. We have said to the criminals, ‘You should be very uncomfortable carrying firearms or other offensive weapons.’ We have taken a few weapons off the streets in the past weeks and we have been vigilant. That vigilance will continue and this weekend will be a glimpse of our continued commitment.”
Additionally, the police have embarked on a project of removing derelict vehicles off the streets and searching abandoned and other unoccupied buildings, which can be used by criminals for concealing firearms and conducting illegal activities.
SKNVibes was told that Stop and Search Operations and the removal of derelict vehicles as well as the search of abandoned and unoccupied buildings would be continuous strategies of the Security Forces in an effort to make the Federation a safer place for both inhabitants and visitors.
