Deputy Premier of Nevis and Leader of the federal opposition, the Hon Mark Brantley in a no holds barred, scathing attack on the Commissioner of Police (COP) C. G Walwyn, Wednesday night accused the Police Commissioner for the increase in crime on Nevis. Brantley used his weekly radio show on VON Radio “On the Mark“to indicate that the Commissioner had driven criminal elements on St. Kitts over to Nevis by using a “myopic, political, senseless policy.” It just doesn’t make any sense, Brantley declared.
Brantley referenced comments made by the COP to the news media where he said crime in St. Kitts-Nevis was like a balloon, by using the drug squad K-9 unit, CIA, Delta Squad and the Strike Force had effectively driven the criminals over to Nevis which had no resources to deal with crime.
The Team Unity Deputy Leader said Nevis had no crime fighting resources, and the last police vehicle provided by the federal government was in 2000.
Brantley accused the COP of playing politics with crime, and blaming the NIA for being ineffective in the fight against crime on Nevis. He said the COP had destroyed the morale of the Nevis force by calling them “lazy” and no good and by sending over rejected St. Kitts police officers to Nevis as punishment and as political harassment.
Brantley said by the COP’s own words, he had demonstrated his own failure to deal with crime in Nevis. Brantley said he also had facts to support the view that the COP was also under-reporting crime on St. Kitts, by doctoring the figures.
Brantley defended and supported the Command and police force in Nevis for their hard work and leadership and zero tolerance in fighting crime in spite of what he termed the attack by the COP.
Meanwhile, on Good Morning St Kitts-Nevis (GMSKN) on Thursday, COP C G Walwyn outlined how the number of police officers and police resources in Nevis had been beefed up to ensure that the fight against crime there would be proactive and ongoing.
Commissioner Walwyn indicated that he had no political agenda other than equitable service to the federation of St. Kitts-Nevis.