PM Drew reports significant crime reduction following 90-day anti-crime campaign in St Kitts and Nevis

The Round Table Media conference held by Prime Minister Dr Terrance Drew on Thursday, highlighted several key initiatives, but the one that caught the most attention was PM’s statement regarding Community Driven approach and data back strategies, which helped bringing down crime in St Kitts and Nevis. The PM specifically lauded the law enforcement agencies for the effective execution of the 90-day campaign which helped bringing a significant change in crime rates.  

The Prime Minister, who was interacting with the media persons during the round table discussions, said under the 90-day anti-crime campaign that was launched in the nation, the law enforcement agencies did not just crack down on criminals and their illegal activities, but they also engaged with political parties and local communities to bring down crime in a more effective manner. He said that through engagement with the citizens, the law enforcers were able to approach crime from a preventive perspective, rather than acting after the crime has been committed.  

90-Day Anti-Crime Campaign: A Game Changer 

The task force leading the 90-day campaign also held special interactions with citizens by visiting community centers, villages, and schools across the Twin Island Federation, encouraging them to play an active role in the prevention of crime.  

Guiding youth to a purposeful future  

Special guidance was also provided to youth in order to improve their focus and engage in purposeful employment, rather than drifting towards criminal activities. The Prime Minister said that the government was also working to create more job opportunities so that the energy of the youth could be channelized for building the nation, rather than being wasted in criminal pursuits.  

The Prime Minister said that the law and enforcement agencies used data collected and backed by USAID-backed study which pinpointed key contributors that pushed a person towards crime. These were identified as familial issues, as most of those crimes were linked to family-related conflicts. To prevent such crimes, the government engaged 20 family counselors, and there are plans to further expand this program, the Prime Minister said.  

The second contributory factor that was identified was peer pressure, and to deal with this, the government has chalked out special programs to provide support and guidance to the youth, encouraging them to stay away from the influence of criminal gangs.  

How economic challenges are related to rising crime?  

The third issue that the government has tried to address to bring down crime in the nation is the economic challenges that the youth face, especially due to unemployment. The Prime Minister said that the government was working on creating new job opportunities for the youth to keep them away from criminal activities.  

The Prime Minister said that the government had also invested heavily in upgrading various technologies that are used by law enforcement agencies, including communication tools and advanced analytical tools that helped in cracking various crimes.