“Stop discussing crime and act” CIC urges Gov’t
By VonDez Phipps
Reporter-SKNVibes.com
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – WORD of 2009’s first homicide has agitated the St. Kitts-Nevis Chamber of Industry and Commerce (CIC) to word its disgust with the frequent, senseless killings to have occurred in recent times.
In an exclusive interview with SKNVibes on January 11, CIC President Mark Wilkin said the Chamber is very concerned about the increased crime rate which is greatly affecting the family, communities and the economy at large.
He stressed that local stakeholders must no longer seek only to meet and discuss the issue but also act upon it to significantly assuage the problem.
“The Chamber is saddened to learn of the first homicide for the year 2009. After the National Consultation on Crime, we submitted to the Prime Minister a 40-point plan that we felt is extremely important in dealing with this problem affecting our nation. We can no longer sit down and allow another young person to lose his/her life.
“We have decided that we are not just going to talk and write letters and keep meetings; we will continually follow up to ensure that action is taken to address the scourge tarnishing our country’s image. We keep talking and waiting while our plans lapse week after week; it’s time to act.
“Clearly, a high crime rate can affect the image of our country as it has already been doing. The statistics alone can deter visitors from coming here. Why would you come to a place which has such a high crime rate? We are certainly concerned about the effect it may have on the tourism sector. ~~Adz:Right~~
Tourism is already expected to see some hardships given the global financial situation as visitors are forecasted to spend less on leisure. We must therefore ensure that we safeguard our country’s image by working together to reduce crime.”
Wilkin informed that the CIC will continue to assess the actions of the government in response to crime as many plans have been made and it is critical that they follow them through.
The Federation of approximately 46,000 witnessed 57 murders in the last 3 years, 23 of which occurred in 2008. Isimba ‘Simba’ Bradley, 17, the first murder victim for this year, was shot on Central Street on January 10 at approximately 12:40 a.m.
