BASSETERRE, ST KITTS – With two murders in four hours on Tuesday bringing the total number of murders to 26 for the year to date, Parliamentary Representative for West Basseterre, Hon. Konris Maynard said Wednesday St Kitts and Nevis is in a national crisis with violent crime and criminal activity. There were 24
Maynard said the call Tuesday night by Times Caribbean, regarded as the national mouthpiece for the Team Unity Government for the return of the Regional Security System (RSS) reflects a lack of confidence in the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force to deal with the symptoms of crime and a “band aid for a cancer in the country.”
“The Team Unity Government can use it as a show piece to convey a message that something is being done about crime, but in fact what is being done is covering up a broader, deeper problem which is criminal activity in the hearts and minds of the young people. The Team Unity Government led by Dr. Harris cannot be saying that in order to bring crime down the solution is to bring back the RSS. What will happen if the RSS comes back is that those persons involved in criminal activity know that the RSS will not be here forever. They know they can wait it out and in the mean time, a police force is further demoralised,” said Maynard.
He is of the view that the ever changing first a 12-point, then a 10-point, and now a 6-point crime plan “is a deception of the crime fighting plan of Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, Dr. Harris.”
“There is no interest and there is no will to dig deep down and to start looking at the why and the cause of criminal activity. This Team Unity Government has no interest in looking at what is causing this country to be losing its young minds, our young souls to resort to a life of crime,” said Maynard, who said the millions of dollars spent to bring in the RSS “to retrieve one firearm could result in three murders. Just as the RSS came, one murder, just they left, two murders,” he said.
He said the government has continued to refuse the opposition’s suggestion of a national consultation on crime.
In reiterating the call, the young MP said: “Crime is a serious and major national issue that has severe consequences for the country’s well-being and our ability to survive.”
He noted that in 2016 alone there have been 26 murders in the first 10 months of this year. It is even double or triple that in terms of gunshot wounds and attacks. One is too much to die from gun violence in this country, much less 26 with the incomplete 10 moths,” said Maynard, who added that he nation has been calling on Timothy Harris, the Prime Minister and Minister of National Security ‘to lead the fight against the scourge of crime as he would have promised that his three-party coalition had the solution of crime.”
He recalled that the first action of Dr. Harris on becoming Prime Minister as to visit the rank and file of the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force and “publicly cheer the removal of Dr. Denzil Douglas as prime minister, this.” MP Maynard noted that after several months stating that there was no need to appoint a Commissioner of Police as fighting crime was a team effort led by him, a COP was appointed with the instruction that the “buck stops with you.”
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