BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE unprecedented robbery of the 17 tourists on Sunday, November 14, 2010 was a wakeup call not only for the law-abiding citizens and residents of the twin-island Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis, but also the Security Forces in particular and parents in general.
Only the blind could not have seen the repercussions resulting from this callous and foolish act. This Federation, like many neighbouring islands, depends on the tourism industry to boost its economy which is already adversely affected by the huge National Debt. We have seen the publication of the incident by various international media houses even before the local media could have done so.
We have also seen the cancellation of two cruise ships with thousands of tourists. This particular cancellation had resulted in the loss of income to many organisations and individuals - the Tourism Authority, tourism agencies, taxi operators and the business community. However, it was only for two days and we have seen the arrival of a cruise ship at Port St. Kitts yesterday (Nov. 21). Oh, what a relief and welcomed sight! We must therefore give kudos to all parties involved in having this matter resolved.
We must also commend the police for carrying out their investigations in a manner that many said were never before seen in the country, and also those members of the public who provided them with information. They mounted a joint operation early Tuesday morning (Nov. 16) in the Sandy Point area and have since arrested and charged five young men. The Public Relations Officer indicated that investigations are ongoing and the police would object to bail when the alleged robbers appear before a City Magistrate.
But, as is asked by many people in the Federation…“Do the police have a water-tight case to present before the court?” It is known that a very high percentage of cases in the High Court, and at the magisterial level, were dismissed because of the lack of evidence. Let us therefore hope that our lawmen had done a thorough job and the court sets an example that would be a deterrent to would-be criminals, so that we should not witness another occurrence of this nature.
In keeping with our role of disseminating information of interest to the public, SKNVibes visited the area where the robbery took place. And after an examination of visible evidence and brief interviews with a number of individuals, this media house concluded that there was some detailed planning in the execution of the robbery.
The robbery was executed just over 300 metres from the Island’s Main Road along the road leading to Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park and a few metres from Lime Kiln. The roadway leading to Brimstone Hill is usually a busy one during the tourist season; therefore, the robbers had to post a ‘lookout’ by the Island’s Main Road to alert his/her accomplices when a lone, filled tour bus was approaching.
Just opposite to Lime Kiln is a footpath, which entrance is shaded by thick bushes and large trees. It was this location where the robbery took place. SKNVibes had located the large branch from a tree that was used to place across the road to stop the flow of traffic. However, the tree from which it was cut was not located. Therefore, it is logical to conclude that the tree was not within the immediate vicinity and the robbers must have been in possession of the branch long before the robbery was executed.
This media house learned that shortly after the driver had disembarked the bus to remove the branch, the robbers threw a large stone into the windscreen. When confronted by the two masked, armed men dressed in blue, who told him that it was a robbery, the driver ran to B’s Gas Station on the Island’s Main Road, from where he sought assistance to inform the police of the incident.
He tried calling the Sandy Point Police Station on telephone number 465-6261, but this line was down at the time. So, Old Road Police Station was the alternative. In the meantime, the masked men relieved the tourists of their money, cellular phones, jewellery and other personal items. They then made good their escape along the footpath, possibly emerging in Cleverly Hills where they must have had a parked getaway vehicle. This footpath leads all the way to Newton Ground over rough terrain.
While waiting on the arrival of the police and the driver, a male tourist drove the bus to the safety of the guard hut, situated at the entrance to the Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park, where he met a security guard to whom he related the incident.
Uncannily, it is rather strange that the tour bus driver did not have a cellular phone in his possession at the time and had to run away from the scene to get assistance. If he did, then it must not have been in working order. This therefore leaves some very important questions unanswered.
There are many lessons to be learnt from this robbery by the Security Forces, private security agencies, management of the National Park and taxi operators.
Firstly, there are a number of areas on St. Kitts that tourists would like to visit, and some of them are isolated and could be targeted by criminals. Therefore, the Security Forces need to up the ante by having vehicle patrols in those areas, including the Southeast Peninsula. There should be at least three vehicles patrolling the areas; one in the Southeast Peninsula, one travelling east and another north around the island, where at some point they would cross each other’s path.
Soldiers are trained to kill and, since the end of the Cold War in 1991 when the Soviet Union collapsed, the armies and defence forces in many countries had amended their roles to place more emphasis on national development and the fight against crime. From this backdrop, members of the SKNDF should also be involved in vehicle patrols as well as foot patrols in forested areas. Their presence would most certainly be a deterrent to would-be thieves.
Secondly, it was suggested that a chain-link fence be erected on both sides of the road leading to the Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park from where it is densely populated by bushes up to the guard hut. It was also suggested that in addition to the security guard at the hut, another guard should be patrolling at intervals in a vehicle or on a motorcycle along the access road.
Thirdly, there is need for the police to be thorough in their investigations and leave no stone unturned. For too long we have witnessed many people charged, appeared in court and had their cases dismissed. All they needed was a smart, high-priced lawyer and the cases were won. This situation is a waste of tax payers’ money. The Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force has about four officers who were conferred with Law degrees in addition to the High Command, whose members are highly-trained. Therefore, even before a case reaches the Preliminary Inquiry stage and the investigating officers have some doubts concerning evidence, those highly-trained and qualified officers should be involved and offer advice on the loopholes, thus making the case water-tight.
In some cases of a technical nature, advice could be sought from a magistrate, the Director of Public Prosecutions or even the Attorney-General.
Fourthly, all taxi operators must have a working mobile phone in their possession when transporting tourists. They must also stop the in-fighting and collaborate for the safety of their charge. It is therefore suggested that they travel in convoys when taking tourists to certain sites. And least but not last, owners of a fleet of buses should install radios to effect communication with the drivers.
Fifthly, the public has to act in a more responsible manner and help the police in their fight against crime. We should not be afraid to provide information to the relevant authorities when we witness a crime; to do so is to condone. We need to be ever-vigilant within and without our communities. We should be our brother’s keepers and fight against the increased rate of crime and violence being perpetrated by a few in the Federation.
SKNVibes joins with the many institutions, government officials, the police and all law-abiding citizens and residents in the call for parents to be more responsible in the upbringing of their children. Do not remain silent whenever you see your children enter your home with anything of value that you did not purchase for them. Ask questions; do not condone wrong doings.
