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Posted: Wednesday 21 December, 2016 at 4:54 PM

PM Harris calls on public to be more involved in crime fight

Governor-General, His Excellency Sir Tapley Seaton inspects the new batch of soldiers
By: Jermine Abel, SKNVibes.com

    BASSETERRE, St. Kitts- AS law enforcement agencies continue to grapple with the ongoing gun-related violence and other forms of criminal activities in St. Kitts and Nevis,he streets, Prime Minister Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris is reminding the public that they need to play their part.

     

    Giving the feature address at the recently-held Passing Out Parade for 28 new intake of the St. Kitts-Nevis Defence Force at Camp Springfield, Dr. Harris drew words from Canon Isaiah Phillip when he stressed that there is need for citizens and residents to become more serious about safety and to remember that security begins with each and everyone in the Federation.

     


    That comment came at a time when the Federation had seen 31 homicides and large number of robberies, larcenies and break-ins of homes and business establishments.

    He reminded those in attendance that the burden of law enforcement should not be solely reliant on the agencies of the state, but rather “it rest on each and every one of us”.

    Dr. Harris explain that very often people would use such graduation exercises to give nice expressions, but the country and society currently require more from those in the colours of law enforcement agencies. 

    “More from each of us,” he said.

    Additionally, he called on members of the public to give support to the men and women in law enforcement because many of them are called upon daily to put their lives at risk for the betterment of the entire Federation.

    “We stand by them, giving support as they perform some of the most difficult tasks at which every day they may be called upon and to put their lives at risk to maintain public safety and security. 

    “When they are making that great sacrifice we ask ourselves: ‘What are we doing? What information we have from our own connections that we have in the communities in which criminal behaviour is taking place in which we are not sharing with the very security force who we say we salute?’”

    PM Harris opined that by not sharing valuable information with police officers, the public is putting the lives of the same law enforcement officials at greater risk than is necessary.

    He added that it is not a favour being done to officers of the Defence or Police Force by sharing information, but it could be that of a family member, a friend or even their own.  

    In some quarters in the Federation, the Government and some of their regional counterparts have been accused of politicising crime. 

    Many of them had gone further to indicate that the “criminals have become emboldened because of the lack of the two major political spectrums in the country not working together to combat the ongoing problem”.

    That comes as more people have been gunned down in broad daylight and more homes of business owners and ordinary citizens are being broken into.


    The public have been calling for the Government to take the hardliner approach in dealing with the problem, while the opposition St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party has been calling for a national discussion on the problem.

    Quite recently in the Parliament, the Government had announced that approximately 10% of the $712.9M 2017 Budget ($71.7M) was allocated the Ministry of National Security, under which  umbrella are the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force, the St. Kitts and Nevis Defence Force and Her Majesty’s Prison, among others. 

    Additionally, the Government had added officers from the Regional Security System to the Police Force to assist in keeping the peace during the Christmas/Carnival Season.

    Both the Opposition and the Team Unity Administration have denounced the ongoing criminal activities.
     
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