NIA strategises against crime scourge
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – DEPUTY PREMIER in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) the Hon. Mark Brantley has issued an austere warning to the “hoodlums” on Nevis to quit their illegal activity, and that the government would leave no stone unturned in stamping out the scourge in crime that has been affecting the island and its people over the past days.
On Wednesday morning (May 21), after Nevis was rocked by two homicides that took place the night before, the NIA convened an emergency meeting with Commissioner of Police Celvin ‘CG’ Walwyn and the top-ranking officers attached to the Nevis Division of the Police Force.
Speaking on Freedom FM, Brantley said the meeting was aimed at devising strategies which both the police and the government could institute to address the issue.
“(I) appeal to the youngsters yet again to desist from this type of behaviour, because at the end of the day it brings nothing of value; nothing of value to them, nothing of value to their families, nothing of value to the island. We continue to appeal to these youngsters to do away with this nonsense and, we as an administration, have taken a zero tolerance policy. We have taken a view that we have no room in Nevis whatsoever for this type of behaviour and I believe the general public will see the unfolding of our efforts in terms of response and combatting the scourge in the very, very near future.”
The Deputy Premier expressed that those bent on committing acts of illegality must not be allowed to terrorise the community.
“This government is committed 100 percent to eradicating this scourge in our midst, and if youngsters are out there who have the audacity to go to people’s homes in the morning and kick down their door, then they must be prepared to have their doors kicked down by law enforcement as well. It is as simple as that! They must be prepared for pushback because they are terrorising the entire community and this community would not be terrorised by these hoodlums…”
Brantley stated that “the approach had to be an inclusive one”, noting that parents, who by virtue of their silence, condone the criminal behaviour of their children.
“Parents, you have young criminals in your homes, guns in your homes, please, it is better for you to take the hard decision and report even your child than to bury your child. And so my view is that we need as a community now to confront this and confront it head on.
“And so we need the community engaged. Crime Stoppers is now fully in swing where rewards are being offered for information, and the tip line is 1-800-8477. I am inviting people to use that and assist police. Let us start to help ourselves to deal with this particular problem…The people of Nevis and of St. Kitts need to understand that crime is everybody’s problem. There is no room here for saying, ‘Well it’s not me, it’s my neighbour’, because as the old saying goes, if you see and don’t say, when the criminals come for you who will be left to say?”