Basseterre, Saint Kitts, April 4, 2025 (PMO) – Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Terrance Drew, in his capacity as Chairman of the Regional Security System (RSS) Council of Ministers, delivered a compelling and deeply resonant address at the 2025 RSS Council of Ministers Annual Meeting held today, April 4, in St. Kitts and Nevis. His remarks underscored the urgent need for integrated national and regional strategies to confront modern security challenges, emphasizing that “all the dots must connect” and “our safety is intertwined.”
Speaking to a gathering of regional ministers, security chiefs, and international partners, Prime Minister Drew pointed to the success of St. Kitts and Nevis’ public health approach to crime prevention—a strategy that has already yielded encouraging results, including a significant reduction in homicides. “It is almost six months now, and we have not had one,” he noted, describing it as “the best results we have seen in decades.”
The Prime Minister credited this success to a coordinated and holistic approach involving all arms of society. “If I were to leave one message here this morning,” he said, “it is that all the dots must connect if we are to get a handle on the security situation in the region. It means at home, they must connect, and they must connect to our regional partners and our international partners for us to be successful.”
Framing crime not merely as a legal matter but as a public health crisis, Prime Minister Drew emphasized the need for prevention, education, rehabilitation, and what he termed “community immunity.” He highlighted the Federation’s home-grown 90-Day Citizen Security Campaign as a leading example of this approach. “This was not just another initiative—it was an all-hands-on-deck effort. This model works—not because it is uniquely ours, but because it is rooted in science… because it builds not just fences, but bridges.”
Dr. Drew’s message extended beyond national borders to the wider Caribbean and its international allies. “I will stress again—our shared security is all of our concerns,” he declared. “As we confront evolving threats from cybercrime to youth disenfranchisement, from transnational trafficking to climate-induced insecurity, let us be guided by one unshakable truth: our safety is intertwined. The calm of Castries touches the peace of Kingston. The stability of Bridgetown strengthens the resilience of Basseterre. And the security of Basseterre advances the security of the US Virgin Islands and others.”
He urged a shift in the way regional cooperation is viewed, especially with close international partners, and challenged other leaders of the region to act decisively and together.
“Let us rise—not only as defenders of our states but as doctors for the soul of our region… And let us always remember, as we say here, ‘All a we’ means all of us, and all of us are needed now—and always.”