Leader of the Opposition in St Kitts and Nevis, the Right Hon. Dr Denzil L. Douglas on Saturday condemned the continued crime situation in the federation following two armed robberies and a shooting incident which left two men dead and five others injured. The two deaths bring to 14 the number of murders for 2016 and the third shooting death last week.
The Moneygram office at Port Zante was held up Friday morning by two well-dressed masked gunmen and a large undisclosed sum of money stolen and a Sol Gas Station was robbed Friday afternoon with the masked men making off with an undisclosed amount of cash.Friday evening gunmen sprayed bullets into a shop in the quiet village of Saddlers, killing two young men and leaving four others wounded, one of whom is on life support in the Intensive Care Unit at the main Joseph N France General Hospital.
On Wednesday night, a wheelchair bound young man was shot and killed. Expressing sympathy to the families of Willis Warner and Kieoron Phillip, Dr Douglas, the Parliamentary Representative for the area visited the survivors at the JNF General hospital and also spoke to the grieving families.On Saturday May 21 Dr Douglas spoke to Freedom Fm Newsdesk and joined with the people of Saddlers and the fun-loving and peaceful people of St Kitts and Nevis at home and abroad to “condemn this very sad state of affairs that have left so many people in grief in Saddlers and throughout our land.”The Opposition Leader asked who was in charge of the country when PM Harris, Deputy PM Richards , AG Vincent Byron, and Premier of Nevis vance Amory were all off island at the same time.
MeanwhileActing Minister of National Security, the Hon. Ian Liburd took to the airwaves to speak on the recent spate of violent crimes.Minister Liburd noted that he visited the most recent victims at the Joseph N. France General Hospital.He also called on everyone to support the police in their efforts to combat the recent spate of crimes and bring the criminals to justice. The Ag Minister of National Security pointed out that he did not want to politicize crime, but that “200 murders had occurred during the Denzil Douglas regime”.
In a Statement released from the Office of the prime minister on Saturday, Prime Minister Dr. the Hon Timothy Harris has condemned the recent shootings in St. Kitts that have killed or injured several young men.Dr Harris,who is currently off island said “These senseless homicides that are being inflicted not only on the victims, but also on their families, friends and the larger community and country, appear to be vengeful and retaliatory.He said the government condemns the killings and is “doing everything in our power to contain this situation, which regrettably started getting out of hand about 15 years ago, with the peak being reached in 2011 when there were a record 35 homicides in St. Kitts and Nevis.
”He expressed sympathy to those affected by gun violence noting especially “all of the families and loved ones of every gun victim who has died, as well as with those victims – and their families and loved ones – who survived their gunshot wounds, but are forever changed physically and psychologically.”He said his government recognizes that to foster a sense of dignity, pride and belonging, citizens need economic upliftment, an effective criminal justice response, and spiritual support.He reaffirmed government’s commitment to providing material support to young people, specifically referring to the recently launched Fresh Start Project for small and medium-sized enterprises