Protecting St Kitts-Nevis children is of paramount importance: Security Minister

Protecting the nation’s children is of paramount importance to their well-being and ensuring a safe St. Kitts and Nevis. Against this backdrop, the Ministry of National Security’s Community Policing National Intervention Team hosted the first in a series of community meetings on Thursday, April 04, at the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Headquarters.

The community meeting is aimed at discussing issues relating to crime and violence, gangs and measures for protecting children and teenagers from gangs, and other undesirable activities.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) with responsibility for Crime in St. Kitts and Nevis, Andre Mitchell, noted that the meeting is timely as communities continue to become more diverse.

“It is important for me to bring this into context and to say to you that our society has undergone significant change over the past 15 to 20 years, a change hastened by increased communication—we see social media, improved technology, freedom of movement of people, and as it were, globalization,” said ACP Mitchell.

He noted that the issue of crime prevention requires the contributions from everyone and not just the police.

“It is one in which should be tackled from a holistic front – the family, the schools, businesses, social services, and of course the church. It is an issue which encompasses all of us as stakeholders and as shareholders,” he said. “As a people, we must reverse the trend that currently exists. No efforts must be spared in steering our youth towards nation building.”

ACP Mitchell added that crime prevention requires a new thinking and new approach and the “willingness to go the extra mile to bring solutions to problems which often seem irreversible.”

He used the occasion to commend the Community Policing Team for its hard work and dedication, and for taking the initiative to positively mould the minds of the youth population.

“I am aware that this team has been working assiduously to shape the minds of our young people and point them to a path where they can become productive citizens and indeed prevent them from getting involved in crime and gang related activities,” he stated.