On Wednesday, the Chamber of Industry and Commerce Issued a statement on crime in St. Kitts and Nevis. In the release, the Chamber noted that while crime has been a major threat to the country for over a decade it has reached a new and dangerous level with the recent murder of two police officers.
The Chamber called these latest acts a direct attack on the law and on society by misguided young people with guns. The Chamber called on the security forces to aggressively root out the perpetrators and on society to assist in various ways.
The statement said among the major causes are negative attitudes and anti-social behaviours which include poor parenting and a lack of trust in law enforcement. The Chamber also blamed political tribalism as a factor noting that “crime has become another source of the blame game between politicians”.
As a solution, the Chamber proposed the establishment of a committee involving nominees of the political parties, civil society and the youth to recommend a programme of solutions.
The Chamber says it is meeting with more than 40 organizations to nominate representatives and agree on the framework of the committee.