By Cherisse Sutton
Reporter - SKNVibes.com
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| Hon. Dwyer Astaphan, Minister of National Security (photo by Cherisse Sutton) |
(Basseterre; St. Kitts): The old year has passed and a new year is upon us. SKNVibes.com took the opportunity to speak with the Hon. Dwyer Astaphan, Minister of National Security, to find out some of the plans and measures that will be put in place for fighting crime in 2007 with the hopes of decreasing the crime rate.
According to the Minister, he is very concerned and not at all happy with the murder rate and the number of shooting incidents and criminal-related activities that have been taking place in the federation.
He said that the year's first death of the 18-year-old teenager was very disturbing.
"A loss of life is traumatic to any person who has a soul and the concern would go even beyond that as we ponder on the things that stir our people to anger and violence," he said. "And the direction in which our behaviors are going."
He added that as unpleasant as it may sound, parents need to take greater responsibility for their children. He said he visits the schools regularly and there are a number of teachers that are traumatized by the behaviors which they have to deal with on a daily basis.
These behaviors are from children who seem not to be amenable to discipline or correction or even amenable to taking up the offer of free education, which is a privilege in this federation up to the sixth form level.
And there are those parents who do not attend Parent Teachers Association meetings. Astaphan says that they are the very ones who run to their children's defense and accuse and even attack teachers.
He mentioned a number of challenges with regard to the security issues in the country and that there are too many illegal guns in the federation.
~~adz:Left~~ But he said that there are a number of plans in place to help with fighting crime in the new year and beyond.
There are plans in place for the construction of a few new police stations, said the National Security Minister.
"One in Dieppe Bay and Tabernacle and hopefully another in Sandy Point along with the upgrading of all the police stations in the federation," he said.
He continued: "There are also plans for a number of new vehicles, body armor, new training programmes, and new police recruits."
He said during this year a "CC TV Program" will be introduced which is a programme where there are cameras placed on the streets to help with the monitoring of criminal activity.
Systems for this programme should be in place in the Basseterre and Frigate Bay area by the end of year, said Astaphan.
He added that there will also be continued training and retraining for all police officials and that the bike patrol program which was launched late last year has been very successful.
Additionally, there are hopes to receive a number of 125cc motor bikes to make the patrol more efficient.
Astaphan also spoke about plans for a canine unit and the training of more dogs for crime detection, bomb sniffing, drugs and guns. ~~adz:Right~~
He said: "This will help for those persons who want to have guns, drugs and other illegal items hidden so they understand that they will have to respond to dogs, and the dogs will sweep the island without relent and detect things that are there that should not be there."
Astaphan said he wants to encourage people to take responsibility for their future and their children's future instead of trying to make a living illegally.
"We as people need to simmer down, be more patient and tolerant, and there would be less need for police intervention," he said.
"Law-abiding citizens of this country who are in the vast majority are not going to allow a few misguided, uncaring, reckless individuals to undermine the society," the Minister said, "and turn it into a total death trap." So they are sending out a signal to change or be changed.
"These measures that are being put in place are intended to help decrease criminal behavior. But no amount of measures and no amount of efficiency and commitment in the National Security Agency will get the job completely done in the absence of commitment and responsible behavior by the citizens," he ended saying.
