BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - ASSISTANT Commissioner of Police with Responsibility for Operation, Adolph Adams believes that perpetrators of the recent homicides in the Federation had utilized the social programmes to their benefit, which resulted in the upsurge of criminal activities.
The Federation has so far recorded 16 homicides compared to 12 for the entire year of 2022, and that increase is not sitting well with many in the Federation as it is sending ripple effects and concerns over safety and security.
Now, the Police Force is suspecting that the uptick could be the result of perpetrators who utilized the programme to build-up their cache and to purchase more firearms.
Adams acknowledged the reality that there will be spikes and busts when it comes to the crime situation, noting that the Government had implemented policies that worked for a short period of time.
“In any society there will always be a lull, and then sometimes you will find a spike. However, the Government has implemented a number of measures that were contributing significantly to the reduction of crime. No system that you put in place will ever be foolproof, and we should be aware of that. Persons who were engaged in some of these programmes, they were using the programmes to their advantage. And as a result, we are seeing what we are seeing today,” Adams emphasized during a recently held Police press conference.
He continued: “Persons who we were bringing to the table, and who were forging peace amongst, have since…in our view been using the programme to their own benefit, and using the programme to perpetrate crime. And this is the result we are seeing.”
Adams’ comments come against the backdrop of the Federation recently recording an upsurge in major crimes, more specifically, homicides. Statistics from the Police Force showed that there were 16 homicides, 15 of which were gun-related.
The public outcry came after the Federation reported four homicides in 24 hours earlier this week, which prompted the Minister of National Security and the Police Force to rollout a five-point plan.
