BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – RECENT unsettling criminal acts have prompted the Chamber of Industry and Commerce to express its “outrage” over the level of crime within the Federation and to call on the Government to act with urgency.
The hue and cry resonates across the Federation owing to incidents of murders, shootings and other acts of violence that took place over the past week and more.
October 25 saw the death of two young men in separate incidents; both of them lost their lives as a result of gun violence.
And on the evening of October 28, the Federation was thrown into a spiral of shock when news that a couple, who worked together, was attacked while performing their duties.
That incident occurred at the S. L. Horsford’s Complex sometime after 7:00 p.m.
The victims of that incident are Seymour Liburd and Arlene Liburd. And while the male survived, the female did not, having sustained gunshot wounds to her stomach and both legs. She was the Federation’s 27th murder victim for 2016.
“The St. Kitts-Nevis Chamber of Industry & Commerce is increasingly outraged at the level of criminality raging across the Federation. Our hearts go out to the family of Mrs. Arlene Liburd, brutally murdered while going about her daily business in support of other businesses.
“We sympathize with all the individuals and their families and the businesses that have been impacted in these acts of violence.”
According to the CIC’s statement, the Federation has one of the world’s highest murder rates, with there being in excess of 300 murders over the past 15 years and in excess of 50 within the past two years.
A clarion call was therefore made by the CIC to the Government “to buttress the resources made available to the security forces, including outside help, in crime detection. We call on the security forces to increase their efforts to get the criminals who have declared war on our society, off the streets”.
For about a month, until October 18, a contingent of the Regional Security System (RSS) was in the Federation assisting the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force with its ‘Operation Safe Streets’ initiative which saw the uprooting of approximately 150,000 marijuana plants and the removal of two illegal firearms from the Federation’s streets.
During the period of their presence, there were increased stop and search and other operations and a noticeable lull in serious crime.
In a previous interview with SKNVibes, Prime Minister and Minister of National Security Dr. the Hon Timothy Harris indicated that “the assignment is taking different phases and there will be different reiterations, if you will, of the programme”.
The CIC said the Federation is experiencing a crisis which “should be dealt with by strong and immediate action” as this level of criminal activity is having a negative impact on the residents of the land and the economy.
Members of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce are being encouraged to “review the security measures used by their organizations and to take all additional steps within the law to protect their businesses and their employees”.
