BASSETERRE, ST KITTS 22 AUGUST, 2024 - The People’s Action Movement (PAM) on Wednesday 21st August met with a number of stakeholders to discuss solutions to the dire crime crisis. In its invitation to the local stakeholders, the party stated: “As citizens, residents and stakeholders living in St Kitts and Nevis, the alarm has been sounded that it is time for counter action.” Stakeholders were reminded that the ideas generated from this meeting of the minds do not have to cost thousands of dollars to implement yet could be impactful in bringing attention to and turning around the staggering crime statistics.
Political Leader Mrs Natasha Grey-Brookes in her opening remarks called for there to be attention to crime prevention and a greater rate of detection and reduction. She said while the primary focus is on the criminal acts, it was important to remember the victims of these heinous crimes and recommended field visits to their families and anger management and counselling services.
To set the stage for the deliberations, video excerpts from a presentation on Creative Leadership featuring Hon Dr Shawn Richards was played. In these excerpts, he shared key research findings from his doctoral dissertation which focused on the Peace Programme. He described the programme as a 24-hour endeavour by the citizens who were involved in it – Counsellors, pastors, teachers etc.
“There possibly could have been more violence if it had not been for the mediation and intervention efforts that were key components of the programme,”he opined. He mentioned that gaining trust for the police was a significant victory resulting from the short-lived programme, as prior to that, the participants viewed the police as their enemy. He shared that it was easier for the members of the peace programme to embrace it since in large measure they were part of the solutions.
Deputy Political Leader, Azard Gumbs, presented an analysis of crime by type and community. His findings revealed that for 2024, 88% of the homicides were gun-related, spreading across all 8 constituents. Most of the victims of those crimes were males with the highest incidents occurring in constituency number 8.
Mr Nubian Greaux was invited to share a comparative analysis of the Peace Programme with its successor – ELEVATE. He detailed how the former came into being and how it evolved into a programme that saw ‘former gang members’ engaged in gainful employment and some owning their own businesses. He reported that a significant limitation of the Peace Programme was the absence of psychological support; however, despite this shortcoming, its comprehensive approach yielded better outcomes than the ELEVATE programme to date. With that backdrop the stakeholder representatives were invited to share their solutions-focused input.
The summarized ideas generated from the discussion included:
• Bringing back key players to the table – trusted police officers and gang leaders
• Restoring trust between the police and the gangs
• An NGO-led campaign against violence
• Sports afterschool programmes for at risk youth
• National Internship programmes
• Use of Social Media Influencers to share messages of hope and encouragement to young men
The PAM has expressed gratitude to the stakeholders for investing their time in this national exercise. “Your contribution to the discussions today is an indication of the severity of the present situation. There will be ongoing engagements, and I see hope on the horizon as what we started today can save at least one life. All of us must conscientiously play a part in the redirection from this dangerous path that our beloved nation has taken. Love for country must triumph over everything else as we seek to restore peace and tranquility in our beloved islands,” concluded the Political Leader Grey-Brookes at the close.
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