Basseterre, St.Kitts (TUCOM) - Team UNITY’s PAM Candidate for Constituency#2 Central Basseterre on Monday evening launched his PROSPERITY AGENDA for the area And agenda that will be implemented under the historic new Team UNITY Government led by Dr. Hon. Timothy Harris.
Powell outlined a number of key areas that will form the major planks on which his Central Basseterre PROSPERITY AGENDA will be built on. One of the significanT planks is the issue of Crime and Violence which has plagued not only the constituency but the entire country.
Powell addressed the issue by outlining his vision and plans to tackle the scourge of crime and violence in central Basseterre.
Find below excerpt from presentation of his Prosperity Agenda relating to Crime and Violence in his Constituency#2 Central Basseterre.
‘Like the rest of the country, the People of Central Basseterre are tired and afraid of the high crime rate that has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of our young men and women nationally………………….. let me pause in respect of the young man, 34 year old Javid Merrit who lost his life in Buckley’s this morning. He was not out on the streets, he was not in a fight somewhere; they came right on to his premises and took his life in a hail of bullets. My sympathy goes out to his family and friends. May God continue to watch over them.
This brings to 20, the number of murders recorded for the year. This is a tragedy. The statistics are shocking. Between 1995 and 2014, in the last 19 years, we have lost over 500 of our children through murder and gun violence in St. Kitts and Nevis.
When you compare the period 1952, the year of Adult Suffrage, and 1995, when PAM/NRP left office, after forming the government in 1980, there were less than 50 murders in that entire 43 year period.
But in 19 years, since 1995, we have had almost 600 homicides. This alone is reason for all Kittitians and Nevisians to vote for change.
We need to end this vicious cycle of murders and shootings. We need to again create a community that is free from fear and not worried about who will be next.
Crime must not be a political football and we all must blow the final whistle on this attitude because the success of our collective efforts depends on a united community approach.
The police too must adopt a more harmonious approach when dealing with some of young men. Too many innocent ones complain about police harassment and ill-treatment. If we want the community to help, we can’t abuse them.
I am sure we can find hundreds of solutions and I do not have all the answers, but I think we need to remove the interference of decision-making in the work of the police. Too often the actions of our officers are directed from the highest levels in the government, rather than the High Command of the force.
If we end the interference then our officers would feel more comfortable to dispatch justice and fair play, with no consequences of victimization.
There is need for greater patrols on foot and mobile. This would help to build greater relations between the community and the police and this can lead to more cooperation and sharing of vital information. And it will also build trust.
We need to make residents of Central Basseterre feel safer, and a greater physical presence of the police would help.”
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