BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas says government continues to work with the Security Forces to ensure that the responsibility of protecting residents gets the highest priority.
“Although crime and violence is also a challenge in every country within the region today, it continues to occupy the utmost attention, it is the highest priority issue of my Government today; because we have a responsibility to ensure that our citizens are protected in their homes, on the streets, in their churches where they go to worship, in their schools, in the hospitals, in the clinics, where ever they are, it is our responsibility to ensure that there is adequate tools available, support available for the protection of our people,” Prime Minister Douglas told a Rally at the CEMACO Parking Lot following a March for Hope, Peace and Unity, organised by the Methodist Church on Friday.
Dr. Douglas said it is government’s responsibility to ensure that both the Police and Defense Force are given the adequate necessary resources, to ensure that there is safety and protection and security of citizens and of their property.
“My Government will continue to ensure that the Police and the Defense Force are adequately staffed. We will continue to ensure that they are provided with the necessary equipment, we will continue to ensure they are provided with the absolute necessary training that is required so that their skills and their abilities, firstly to prevent crimes, secondly, to detect those who commit crimes, thirdly, to bring them to justice and fourthly to ensure that the punishment that is meted out to them, the sentencing that is meted is fair and just and is carried out to the fullest extent,” said Prime Minister Douglas.
Dr. Douglas noted one of the needling problems heard from citizens on a daily basis is that the “response by the Police is inadequate, the court system takes too long to roll out its justice, it takes too long for a case to be heard and even when the case is heard, it may not be adequately prepared to ensure that justice is being done.”
“As Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, I give a commitment, that I shall do all that is within our power to ensure that these areas of concerns are corrected,” he said.
Dr. Douglas used the occasion to thanks the police for organising several outreach programmes in an effort to improve the relationship between law enforcement and the community.
“I commend the organisers of the Police Boys Club. I saw them on the television on the weekend. I am very pleased that with activities of this kind, the police are reaching out into the community and when our parents might have failed to keep their children under check, at least the police is not only trying to apprehend them after crimes would have been committed, but they are trying to work with them in Clubs of a social setting to ensure that crime can be prevented,” said Prime Minister Douglas.
“We have to make sure that though we have problems with the Police, we have to work with the Police. We have to support the Police in every way and that is why it is important for me to emphasise the attempt to improve on the confidence of the public in general with the Police and the Defense Force. We need to rebuild your confidence so that you can feel easy and comfortable in dealing with the police in assisting in preventing and also in solving crimes,” Prime Minister Douglas told the Rally. (CUOPM)
