BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, November 24, 2023 (SKNIS) – The Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis, the Honourable Dr. Terrance Drew has assured citizens and residents that his government is taking a zero-tolerance approach to crime and violence in the country. In this regard, the government is in the process of rolling out a comprehensive plan to address the situation.
The government’s encompassing plan will look at crime and violence from a public health perspective, addressing the root causes of the problem. This measure was discussed at length when CARICOM Heads met in Trinidad and Tobago for a regional symposium on “Crime and Violence as a Public Health Issue” in April of this year.
“Here in St. Kitts and Nevis, we would have had our own local issues that would have affected us, and so we are putting measures in place to deal with it, not only in the short-term, but once and for all to deal with the issue of violence here in St. Kitts and Nevis,” said Prime Minister Dr. Drew, during an appearance on ZIZ’s radio and television programme, The Edge, on Friday, November 24, 2023.
The honourable prime minister, who serves as Minister of National Security, said a task force has been established to address the matter of violence from a public health perspective.
This taskforce, led by Prime Minister Dr. Drew, includes esteemed Consultant Psychiatrist Dr. Izben Williams and high-ranking officials from various government sectors. These include representatives from the Ministry of National Security, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Social Development, and the Prime Minister’s Office.
“For many years we had not implemented such a comprehensive programme to deal with crime and violence. [Past administrations] had attempted to do things here and there … some of which would have aggravated the situation. However, we do recognize that the violence issue has to be dealt with at its root, along with issues that are being presented now,” Dr. Drew said.
Prime Minister Dr. Drew used the opportunity to publicly express his most sincere condolences to the families of the two young men who tragically lost their lives earlier this week.
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