Prime Minister Dr Terrance Drew will lead an important stakeholder meeting for all leaders of community groups, social clubs and non-governmental organizations today, August 23, in St Kitts and Nevis.
This conference leads to the first of several comprehensive steps to be taken by the Federation against the rising crime and violence.
As the Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis, Dr Drew has been outspoken about his insistence that crime and violence are national objectives to be combated as vigilantly as disease controlling measures. Terrence Drew, being the National Security Minister, stressed that these issues can’t be solved with tolerance and struggles.
However, to overcome these issues he turns to a systemic approach and suggests including the entire society into the resolution of these problems.
The meeting is intended to set premises for more extensive nationwide discussion on the topic over the following three-month period. This consultation will tackle improving citizen security and the integration and coordination of sustainable measures within the region from a public health approach of violence and crime as in accordance with CARICOM.
The plan for this meet is to discuss the issue of increased gun violence that has been a major problem in the Federation lately. When asked about such violence, PM Terrance Drew, wass categorical that such violence has no place in their society, adding that it should be condemned in the strongest terms possible.
He has stressed on the importance of the effort and cooperation on all fronts, to make a constructive change at this regard. Secondly, in his method, Dr Drew has involved people from the religious faith, political parties, sports team, social clubs, businessmen, and members of the government.
This participative approach signifies that the fight and prevention of violence and crime cannot be fought and prevented individually without the participation of every member of the society.
The ninety-day campaign followed by the national consultation meeting that is to be held today, will seek to discover why there has been hostility and violence so as to enhance peace across the nation. This is, however, a deliberate attempt to explain that this is not just a matter for police attention, rather it is a plagued issue that affects the society.
PM Terrance Drew also underlines that it is the concern for the society in whole, hence the call for the society to work together to resolve such problems. In light of the fact that the Prime Minister Drew is willing to meet with all the political parties, the response framework towards violence and crime can be stated to be inclusive of all the entities.
This model of strategic engagement also contributes to the fact that there has been agreement as to the measures that can improve the security of all inhabitants. By such strategies, Dr Drew aims at increasing the security status within the Federation, to a more secure level.
