BASSETERRE St. Kitts, March 9th 2011 - The abstract of the St. Kitts and Nevis Counter-Terrorism Initiative, a 25 page document presented to the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of National Security Sam Condor by doctoral candidate Mutryce A. Williams reads, “This paper is a community counterterrorism initiative for the federated state of St. Kitts and Nevis. In this paper I discussed the issue of domestic terrorism, as it pertains to armed robberies in the nation. I provided an assessment of the impact that these terrorist events have had on the state. The role of first responders in helping to prepare and protect the community, and also the role that the media plays in helping to prepare and inform was discussed.
A brief description of relief organizations and the potential intervention and post-vention strategies each might provide to survivors was provided. I provided a description of a disaster response strategy and skills that may be used. I provided an analysis of the ethical and cultural considerations that may be related to the preparation and response to terrorism and discussed how I would address each of them. A description of potential risk and resilience factors and an explanation of how each might impact the recovery of survivors was also provided.”
Williams said, “As a result of what has been described as an unprecedented attack, (the November 14th 2010 Brimstone Hill Incident), other armed robberies and also the criminal activity within the nation the psychological impact on the population should be examined and counterterrorism initiatives implemented in order to mitigate the situation.”
In citing Bongar, Brown, Beutler, Breckenridge and Zimbardo (2007) Williams suggests that the fear generated by terrorism may be more persistent and more potent in generating psychological sequelae than other forms of disaster. She said, “With the aforementioned statement in mind, I deduce that the armed robberies may have long and short term psychological impact on the community of St. Kitts and Nevis. There may be neurobiological, behavioral, and cognitive impact. Special population such as the elderly, children, first responders and disabled may also be impacted by the armed robberies. It is therefore pertinent that we not only look at this phenomenon as it relates to our economic survival as people, but also how it has been affecting our mental health.
