BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – LEADER of the Opposition Mark Brantley believes the time has come for all political parties to put politics aside and unite to tackle the growing crime problem in St. Kitts and Nevis.
Earlier this year, the Federation experienced a rise in violent crime, including homicides, which politicians and the public alike described as a worrying trend. Over the last 11 months, 28 homicides have been recorded, including the tragic killing of a 9-year-old boy in Newton Ground.
While responding to the Prime Minister’s $1.127 billion budget presentation, Brantley stressed that while ensuring citizen security ultimately rests with the government, engaging in a “blame game” serves no purpose in addressing the crisis.
“...there's absolutely no value in today's world in expending political time and energy in a blame game”,” Brantley said.
In recent months, political parties, their agents, media aligned with them, and other stakeholders have heavily criticized the current administration's approach to handling crime. Critics have also pointed to the Labour administration's previous promises to address the issue effectively.
Many voices, however, have called for meaningful consultation with stakeholders to devise solutions. Earlier this year, the government launched a 90-day campaign to identify the root causes of crime and violence. The findings attributed much of the deviance to breakdowns in family structures, which contribute to behaviors leading to crimes, including homicides.
"On crime, we should spend our time talking about solutions, not blame," Brantley emphasized. "We should focus in a laser-like manner on the criminals and on tackling deviant behaviour in high and low places — not wasting our time attacking each other.”
Brantley further underscored that crime has been a persistent problem across successive administrations. He pointed to 35 homicides in 2008—the highest ever recorded under the Labour government—and noted similar spikes, with 32 homicides in 2011, and 31 in 2016 under the coalition Team Unity administration.
On extending his support to the government, Brantley remarked, “On the issue of crime and the fight against it, I always extend my hand of friendship to the government to help in any way that I can, recognizing that crime is everybody’s problem and that without citizen security, the country cannot achieve any lasting economic or social gains.”
Addressing citizen security, Minister of Finance Dr. Terrance Drew outlined the government’s plans under the $85.6 million allocation for recurrent expenses, representing a 7.9% increase over the previous year’s budget. Funding will support measures such as upgrading police facilities and enhancing security infrastructure.
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