BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, August 18, 2017 (Press Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister) – The Team Unity Government’s stepped up efforts to eradicate the scourge of crime and violence from St. Kitts and Nevis has received high praises from members of the faith-based community.
Representatives of the St. Kitts Christian Council, the St. Kitts Evangelical Association and the Nevis Christian Council met with members of national security apparatus on Thursday (August 17), including with Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris; National Security Advisor, Major General Stewart Saunders, Commander of the St. Kitts and Nevis Defence Force, Lieutenant Colonel Patrick Wallace; Deputy Commissioner of Police, Hilroy Brandy and Commanding Officer of the Coast Guard Unit, Major Anthony Comrie.
The purpose of that meeting was to formally introduce leaders within the religious community to the new National Security Advisor, advise them of his responsibilities and to also to give them an opportunity to air their views, suggestions and concerns as it relates to crime in St. Kitts and Nevis.
During that meeting, Pastor Benjamin Browne of the Cayon Church of God said he was particularly impressed with the increase in police visibility on the island main roads around St. Kitts.
“I would like to commend the security forces for the initiative which they have introduced in terms of making their presence more visible and I am of the opinion that this is helping to a certain extent to help to curtain the crime and the violence because all of us here in this country could testify that during the past weeks we’ve had no loss of life and all us of should say an Amen to that because one life lost is too many and we need to commend the security forces in this area,” Pastor Browne stated.
The clergyman further expressed his satisfaction in the professional manner in which these officers are carrying out their duties; using a recent interaction he had with two officers to strengthen his point.
“I had an experience some time ago with two of the officers of the police force. I was coming across by the Kim Collins Highway and as I approached the round-a-bout by the airport they stopped me…but the thing that impressed me was the professional way in which those officers approached me and I had to commend them to the Commissioner of Police,” Pastor Browne recalled. “The manner in which they stopped me and the manner in which they told me what they were doing, I was so impressed with it that I left there feeling satisfied that these two young officers are out there in the public conducting themselves in a very professional manner.”
Acting President of the St. Kitts Evangelical Association, Reverend Hilton Joseph also offered words of commendation to the men and women of the security forces on the recent successes in their crime fighting efforts.
Reverend Joseph also made an appeal for the clergy to work closer with the government and the security forces, adding that “there needs to be a unified head if we are to confront this issue of crime because it is not a their problem, it is our problem.”
