Police in St. Vincent and the Grenadines do a better job of arresting opposition critics than solving homicides, the parliamentary opposition says.
Five months into the year, the country has recorded 18 killings, and the New Democratic Party (NDP) said that if the trend continues, the homicide count would go past the record 40 of 2018.
“Vincentian society was shocked at the discovery of the decomposed body of a 17 year old woman in the community of Murray’s Village on the outskirts of Kingstown on Thursday 12 May 2022,” the NDP said in a statement, referring to the body that was later identified as that of Precious Williams, of Sion Hill.
On May 16, the country recorded two additional homicides during a shooting in New Montrose.
Those killings follow four homicides between April 29 and May 2.
“Crime is out of hand in St. Vincent and the Grenadines,” the NDP said this week.
“Should the current rate continue, SVG would equal its 2016 record-breaking murder count of forty (40) for the year. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) ranks 2016 in SVG as the 6th bloodiest in the world in the period 2012 to 2020.”
The NDP said that a significant percentage of these homicides remain unsolved “as the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force seems unequipped to come to grips with this crisis.
“This incompetence stands in stark contrast to the enthusiasm and vigour exercised in the pursuit and arrest of critics of the ULP administration and in preventing citizens from exercising their constitutional rights to freedom of expression and association.
“Of greater concern is the administration’s refusal to acknowledge the depth of this crisis since 2007. It is evident that as Minister of National Security, Dr. Gonsalves has failed to be “tough on crime and the causes of crime”, the NDP said, referring to a promise that Ralph Gonsalves made before coming to office in March 2001
“In 20 years, the minister and successive commissioners of police (the current Commissioner of Police Colin John being included) have failed to present to the nation a credible and comprehensive plan to deal with spiralling crime. It would appear that such a plan has not even been drafted. The time has come for the administration to engage real expertise,” the NDP said.
The statement continued:
“While we offer our sympathies to families directly affected by violent crime, we recognise that expressions ring hollow without action. The New Democratic Party renews our call for a bi-partisan, broad-based approach to the development and implementation of strategies for combating crime.
“We call on anyone with information that might assist the police in their investigations to contact the police immediately.”
Kenton, when you only publish the meekist it defeats the purpose.
I am not a member of any political party in st Vincent but I must commend the call for unity to solve the crime problem in St Vincent and the grenadines.
There is a problem that need fixing. First and foremost let us all acknowledge that crime is out of hand in SVG and the grenadines.
The prime minister and the chief of police needs to lead the charge to address and fix this problem.
Stop pretending that this is okay. This is not okay.
St Vincent and the grenadines is on the world stage and since tourism is a primary byproduct, folks will avoid SVG like a bad habit with all the heinous killings and illegal guns.
It is concerning that most of this crime remain unsolved.
Remember violence breeds violence. When you have a violent police force you will have an abundance of violent citizens. When you have a ruling party that uses violent talk against those who oppose them that also breeds physical violence among their supporters. Almost every act of violence in SVG including leg shooters have been ruling party supporters.
As a former Police officer and a Vincentian I am alarmed at the crime rate in St Vincent and the Grenadines, more so the number of unsolved murders. It is very clear the the Police are overwhelmed and cannot get a grip on crime.
In any other country two things would have happened. (1) the commissioner of Police would have been fired and (2) the minister in charge of crime or public safety would have been asked to step down. But that will not happen because the prime minister is the minister in charge of crime and the commissioner of police is his boy.
Kenton, when you only publish the meekist comments it defeats the purpose.
I am not a partisan, or a member of any political entity in St. Vincent and the Grenadine. Yet, over the years, I find the main opposition party in St. Vincent to be weak and devoid of real leadership. But here, I am in complete agreement with the NDP. The incompetence of the police in St. Vincent is glaring, especially under the leadership of the current police commissioner. For far too long, the police force in St. Vincent and the Grenadines has been infected with the bacteria of incompetency germinating it’s ranks, and especially in it’s leadership ranks. But this seems to serve the ULP well, as the police surely seems to be more interested in suppressing opposition than solving real crime.
I have to fully agree with the insight of Nathen Green. The police need to set an example of proper behavior instead of appearing like a competing mafia gang. However so very much more has to be done to solve the extreme crime problem in SVG. The very terrible economic policy is an issue in itself!!! The police are very poorly trained, incited by senior police to be lawless, etc…then there is the neo-culture that glorifies “bad boys”, and much more.
The biggest problem however is that the government is undeniably clueless on how to solve these problems, or they just don’t care enough.
The worst set of slaves are those that will do what they presume that their master will like. The yard slaves, the house slaves and jimbo.. Very sad for we black people. It appears that we are being studied . Time for we black people remove the shackles out of our minds and be free from mental slavery. Police, you are there to protect and serve all citizens regardless of what ever. Is it that some criminals are being applauded and protected , while the critics are being tormented and percecuted ? Very scary.