BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – MEMBERS of the Seventh Day Adventist Pathfinders were called upon to join the battle of taking back the streets from misguided youths as gang violence has spread its ugly tentacles throughout the twin-island Federation.
This clarion call was made at the recently-concluded Seventh Day Adventist Church’s Youth Conference by Assistant Commissioner of Police Andre Mitchell, who spoke on the topic “The effects of crime in our society and how youths can contribute to its prevention”.
Mitchell, who was a member of the SDA Pathfinders during his teenage year, told the young men and women that the society has undergone significant changes over the past 15 years, which were hastened by increased communication, improved technology and globalization.
He pointed to the inescapable use of the cell phone and explained that while globalization has shrunk the world into a village and has brought a lot of positives for socio-economic development, negatives also came on that journey.
Those negatives, he said, include serious crimes that plague the world, including St. Kitts and Nevis.
“This phenomenon of crime and violence has been very painful the world over and for us here in St. Kitts and Nevis, it has been no different. I speak about crime in the context of serious crimes. These include robberies, burglaries, rape, larceny (stealing or theft), fraud, breakings, kidnapping, shootings, wounding with intent, manslaughter and murder. Almost every day there is a crime of dishonesty, where someone seeks to deprive his or her neighbour of possession. While incidents of dishonesty have contributed to most of our crimes in St. Kitts and Nevis, creating economic loss and trauma, homicides have created the most pain.”
In the context of homicides, ACP Mitchell said he is sure that no one is proud of the figures recorded over the past five years, noting it is a stark reality that should peak the interests and galvanise the efforts of all citizens and residents.
The ACP accredited many of the homicides committed in the Federation to gang violence while explaining that gang members today are no longer recognised by their traditional colours, symbols and tattoos, but by geographic locations.
“The phenomenon of gang violence is widespread in St. Kitts and Nevis. It has dominated the landscape of crime and violence. Nowadays, with the passage of the Anti-gang legislation, gangs are obscured by the non-wearing of tattoos, colours and others symbols, but the associations are quite evident and marked in identifiable geographical areas.”
In an effort to add credence to the above statement, Mitchell, who is the ACP with Responsibility for the Crime Directorate, spoke to the merging of gangs in St. Kitts.
“While many persons associated with gangs such as the Killer Man Soldier (KMS), Tek Life (TF), Upper Cayon Bloods (UCB), Black Bloody Murders (BBM), Bloods and Gully, have met their untimely deaths through gun violence, these associations have still remained firm and effective through recruitment of young members, instructions from older and incarcerated members, and a somewhat strategic method of operation.
“In the last three to four years, what has been observed is the formation of alliances of these associations. The KMS, strictly made up of members from the McKnight area, is now linked with members of the Upper Cayon Bloods. And young men, who reside in the St. Paul’s and Newton areas, thus spreading their reach, influence as well as strengthening their capacity to rival other associations. Tek Life, which hails from the West Basseterre area and which was the original rival of KMS, has now formed ties with the BBM of Lower Cayon and Ottley’s, the Gully of Bakers’ Corner and other young men who reside at Shadwell and Sandy Point.”
He however declared that the reasons for the formation and operational motives of these associations are unclear and that during interviews many individuals had denied being gang members, but the police had deduced otherwise.
“Numerous interviews have been conducted with these so-called gang members and they are the first and last ones to deny involvement with gangs. Yet their utterances speak loudly to clear associative ties. Evidence adduced and provided for the Courts often identifies motives for gang-related crimes, as tantamount to settling of differences, unreasonable anger and retaliation for harm done by one side to the other and vice versa.”
Mitchell told the Pathfinders that for the most part, gang members are either unemployed or engaged in farming and the construction field.”
“Investigative interviews have also unearthed evidence of armed robberies, burglaries and other petty crimes committed by gang members, who at times declare their actions as means of survival,” he added.
He also made mention of the ‘fairer sex’, claiming that some young females do participate in gang-related activities such as selling and transporting drugs, while others actively participate in committing serious crimes.
Addressing some of the effects of crime and violence, Mitchell said it has a marked effect on the Federation, noting that 90 percent of the homicides and 95 percent of non-fatal shooting incidents were as a result of gang and drug-related activities.
He said the socio-economic impact of those killings is somewhat immeasurable despite some measures of economic quantification undertaken by various groups.
The ACP opined that it does not require the efforts of a social or economic scientist to discover the likely causes of the phenomenon.
Among the causes he listed are:
• Post-traumatic Stress Syndrome for witnesses (a mental disorder that can be developed from exposure to particular situation);
• Economic stress on the health sector ;( I have heard our CMO indicate the significant cost incurred by the health sector in dealing with gun-related crimes);
• Social and financial stress on the family;
• Economic cost related to investigation;
• Adverse effects on business and tourist-related activities;
• Economic burden to communities;
• Unemployment;
• Increased school drop outs; and
• High costs related to criminal trials and civil litigations.
Mitchell also spoke to the public outcry of what the police are doing about the crime situation.
“The question should be what we as a society are doing about these crimes. The perpetrators of these crimes are our brothers, sisters, cousins, uncle, aunts, sometimes fathers and mothers.
The New Police High Command, which I am a part of, has a new focus. A focus that embodies accountability, engagement and collaboration with other agencies and communities, and indeed partnership in implementing our Six -Point Plan of Action, our Service Improvement Plan and our Four-ear Strategic Plan.”
He said the High Command’s plans are result-oriented geared towards significantly reducing crime and violence and also the fear of crime.
ACP Mitchell stressed that crime prevention is not only police business.
“It is one in which should be tackled from a holistic front – the family, school, businesses, social services and, of course, the church. Crime prevention is an issue which encompasses all of us as stakeholders and shareholders. It requires a new thinking, a new approach, a textured sensibility and a willingness to go the extra mile to bring solutions to problems which often seem intractable."
