Police Say Connection Exists Between Peace Programme And Recent Violence

Basseterre, St. Kitts, June 7, 2023 (ZIZ Newsroom):  Assistant Commissioner of Police Adolph Adams says the recent upsurge in violent crimes can be traced back to abuse of the Peace Programme.

The Alternative Lifestyle Pathway Programme, more commonly called the Peace Programme was designed to lend an opportunity to at-risk individuals to provide them with a second chance to live a life free of crime and violence and provide them with employment opportunities.

However, according to ACP Adams, some of the participants began taking advantage of the system.

“Persons who were engaged in some of these programs, they were, quote unquote, using the program to their advantage, and as a result, we are seeing what we are seeing today,” he said. “Persons who we were bringing to the table and who were forging peace amongst, have been, in our view, using the program to their own benefit and using the program to perpetrate crime, and this is a result that we are seeing perpetuating in our communities today.”

He said the police are doing all they can to make meaningful strides in ending the violence and catching the perpetrators and called on the public for their help.