Police crack down on minor criminal offences, disclose small group of foreign nationals engage in counterfeiting
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| St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas chairing a meeting of the National Defence Council (Photo by Erasmus Williams) |
BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, JANUARY 15TH 2008 (CUOPM) – Top law enforcement officers in the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis have highlighted the importance of paying attention to minor criminal offences.
Reporting success in their joint operations which have resulted in a reduction of criminal activity, Acting Commissioner of the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force, Mr. Austin Williams and Commander of the St. Kitts-Nevis Defence Force, Lt. Colonel Patrick Wallace said at the sixth meeting of the National Defence Council on Monday that the commission of minor offenses creates an atmosphere of disorder and lays the groundwork for major criminal activity.
The Police also disclosed the existence of a small group of foreign nationals in the country engaging in some rarer strains of criminal activity including counterfeiting of travel documents and monetary instruments. Three persons are in police custody at the moment and the public is asked to be particularly vigilant.
The Acting Commissioner of Police and the Defence Force Commander reported “a major reduction in breaking offences, numerous arrests for drug possession, numerous arrests for possession of offensive weapons such as knives and ice picks, increased traffic ticketing, increased number of firearms removed from the streets, improved response and follow up to complaints by citizens and residents and formation of the Police Boys Club in Newtown and Cayon.” ~~Adz:Right~~
Minister of State for Information, Sen. the Hon. Nigel Carty in the Post Cabinet Briefing disclosed that the core aspects of the strategy as pinpointed by the Commissioner of Police include steady random searches, joint Police-Defence Force patrols, nightly plain clothes patrol, increased police visibility, enforcement of minor offenses, zero tolerance for camouflage clothing, active use of the K-9 unit to intercept the movement of drugs and direct targeting of illegal firearms.
The Police also unveiled portions of their future strategic approach to crime fighting. The approach consisted of tough crime fighting and enforcement strategies as well as softer strategies such as community outreach, in-service training, and utilisation of modern technology.
