BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - AS the Christmas-Carnival Season wrapped up without any major incident being reported, the Government and the Police Force are still picking up the pieces from the increased homicides in 2023.
Based on data provided by the Force, 31 homicides were reportedly committed in 2023, a figure that surpassed those of 2022 and 2021 combined.
According to the Police Force, 11 homicides were reportedly committed in 2021 and 14 in the following year.
During a recent interview, Commissioner of Police James Sutton told SKNVibes News that following the just concluded Christmas-Carnival Season, the Force would continue with the strategy it had instituted to ensure the reduction of criminal activities, including its no nonsense approach to crime.
He stressed that the problem of gun violence requires a strategic approach, since it is of a cross-border nature.
“We have to apply the plan. We have to continue with the plan, because we have to see how we are progressing with gun violence. Gun violence is a transnational crime that would require a structured security plan to deal with,” noted Sutton.
More than 90 percent of the homicides for last year were reportedly committed with the use of firearms, a problem that local leaders and their regional counterparts are seeking to tackle.
But now that the New Year has started, the Top Cop is seeking to strengthen the Force’s crime fighting strategy as he explaining that “going forward we will still continue with our plan”.
“We have seen a number of positives from our plan and we are tweaking it accordingly,” the Commissioner added.
Amongst the positives is the installation of CCTV camera, which have borne fruits in the Force’s fight against crime, according to the Commissioner who pointed out that they have made a number of arrests due to that technological device.
During the busy Christmas-Carnival Season, a number of additional CCTV cameras were installed around St. Kitts and, according to CoP Sutton, the police are currently in the process of upgrading their cameras to ensure that perpetrators are held accountable for their actions.
The full crime statistics for 2023 will be released in the coming weeks.
