By: Spokesman Newsroom
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts (Thursday 27th February 2025)-“Madame Speaker, we have seen a significant improvement in our security situation. We have seen a significant decrease in crime and violence, and I want to ask our people to continue on that path. Do not allow anybody to draw you out and to make it [appear] as if it doesn’t take all of us to resolve the matter. It takes all of us. And I want to reinforce that point because together as a people we can resolve it…”
So said Prime Minister and Minister of National Security Dr. Terrance Drew during his opening statement in parliament on Thursday 27th February 2025 as he spotlighted the progress made in national security in urging the public to remain engaged.
He emphasized that public safety is a collective responsibility, stressing that the government alone cannot achieve this goal.
“Wherever you are in St. Kitts and Nevis, you are part of the apparatus of citizen security. Every citizen has a responsibility for keeping all of us safe. It is not just up to the government because the government alone cannot do it. Any government who tells the people that they alone can do it, they are lying. This needs a holistic; all hands on deck approach, and an approach from a public health perspective… which needs all of the things I mentioned,” he explained.
Speaking further on national security, Dr. Drew applauded all participants-including political parties- of the government’s ‘Day of Interruption’ anti-crime activity conducted in school throughout the Federation the day before (26th February), recognizing the ongoing collaborative efforts.
According to him: “Madame Speaker, before we got to this point, and the violence was at a peak, there was a lot of words of condemnation instead of words of how we can come together. We called the people of St. Kitts and Nevis together, including political parties…and I want to thank the political parties for coming together as well… The reason why I did that is because crime had been affecting our federation for decades. It did not start with us, Madame Speaker. We just came into office in 2022, and I held the position that we can implement a scientifically proven approach, which is health-based, which happened to be my field of study. I’ve always said it would work but for it to work, everybody has to come together.”
The National Security Minister went on to say: “And in coming together, we will be able to deal with this matter. When it is here, any other country can adopt it…but we were able to come together on a 90-day campaign, and beyond the 90 days, and start to implement what we’ll call the strategic approach to dealing with crime and violence. And not just crime and violence, but look at the whole issue of citizen security, which is beyond just law and order, or what we’ll call the security apparatus.”
” Citizen security involves schools, private sector, sports teams, the man hanging out on the corner, the retired people, the church. Whenever you are part of the apparatus of citizen security. Every citizen has a responsibility for keeping all of us safe. It is not just up to the government,” PM Drew encouraged.