PM Drew meets stakeholders to curb gun-related crime in St Kitts and Nevis

St Kitts and Nevis: Prime Minister Dr Terrance Drew conducted an engagement session on Friday with key stakeholders to discuss crucial measures to combat crime.

This official meeting is part of the 90-day campaign which has been planned to focus on mandatory actions to be taken in order to minimize gun-related crime in the country.

Prime Minister Drew, while sharing a glimpse of the event on his social media noted, “The Government of Saint Kitts and Nevis is fully committed to the fight against crime. We have already made and will continue to make significant investments towards our National Security apparatus.”

Reportedly, all the political leaders from every political party and stakeholders from business communities, religious institutions, sports associations, social clubs, senior government officials, and other community-based organizations were invited to the meeting.

The Prime Minister on his Facebook posted that, “We have also adopted a holistic approach to violence and crime, responding to it as a public health issue. Violence in our society is a disease and it must be treated as such.”

PM Drew during the meeting noted that several investments have already been made in the National Security Apparatus, and they have also allocated one of the largest budgets till date for security purposes.

“We have been providing our police force with the resources, training, and technology they need to combat crime effectively,” said PM Drew.

The National Security Minister was also present at the meeting and he highlighted the role of security forces as a crucial one in fighting crime effectively and highlighted them as the ‘protectors of the communities.

PM Terrance Drew emphasized that the fight against crime will be more effective with the active participants of the communities.

Prime Minister Drew in regard to this said, “Crime is not just a policy issue, but it is a major issue among communities. It has been rooted within social, economic, and cultural factors that need to be addressed if we wish to achieve peace.”

Notably, the session on Friday provided an opportunity for the stakeholders and community representatives to discuss their strategies and insights for the current trend of violence and how to overcome this.

The 90-day campaign has also been reported to include many other National Consultations on violence and Crime as they are one of the major public health issues.

The Prime Minster in regard to this stated everyone to actively participate in this fight against crime so that the nation could achieve its goal to be a safer and more secure country as soon as possible.