BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - TACKLING the problem of crime and violence on the streets of St. Kitts and Nevis using evidence-based policing is one of a number of priority areas for newly-appointed Commissioner of Police, James Sutton.
Sutton outlined his plans at a time when there is reported unease within the Federation following the recent spate of brazen homicides that occurred between last December and February, which left five families to mourn the loss of loved ones.
In his speech to accept the baton as the newly-appointed Commissioner of Police, Sutton highlighted seven areas of focus for the Police Force as part of his strategic direction: Enhanced Crime Prevention Initiatives; Community Policing; Road Safety; Human Resource Development; Better use of Technology; Ongoing collaboration with other agencies; and Evidence-based Policing.
But as Sutton assumes the leadership role, he has inherited the ardous task of dealing with the public image of the Police Force following a number of incidents that thrust them into the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.
The Top Cop did not address the image of the law enforcement agency within the community, but, as earlier mentioned, one of his priority areas is the Community Policing Initiative. However, even though that is the focus, he is pushing to have more cooperation with the community in the fight against crime.
“The Police Force cannot do the job of crime prevention by themselves. Partnerships must be forged with the community whom we serve. We are here to serve the public and I am optimistic, despite our current challenges, we will succeed in renewing policing by consent,” noted Sutton.
He reassured the public that “the police will continue to play a huge role in ensuring that this standard is maintained by adopting evidence-based tactics and hot spot policing”, adding “strategically and intelligently deploying officers in these areas can have a significant impact on preventing and reducing violent crimes”.
This is the furthest the Federation has gotten to hearing what will be done to tackle the recent spate of gun violence occurring on the streets of St. Kitts and Nevis.
Prime Minister Dr. Terrance Drew had told the public that he held meetings with the various law enforcement agencies to deal with the problem, including the High Command of the Police Force.
At that time, however, he stopped short of outlining exactly what those plans were.
