PM Terrance Drew announces drop in homicide incidents in St Kitts and Nevis

Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis Dr Terrance Drew last week praised his government’s Citizen Security Secretariat (CSA) for successfully carrying out a comprehensive 90-Day Campaign Against Crime and Violence which reported 19 per cent drop in overall reported crimes and 66 percent fall in gun-related homicides. 

Drew, a doctor, was particularly ecstatic about the groundbreaking initiative from a public health perspective which provided insights into the real causes of criminal activities and outlined broad strategies to address the problem in St Kitts and Nevis.

The Prime Minister, who was speaking at an event hosted by the CSA in capital Basseterre where the findings of the campaign were presented, emphasized on a collaborative effort towards achieving the results. Drew is also his country’s minister for national security and health and social security.

According to him, the remarkable drop in crime that the Caribbean island-nation witnessed over the last three months was no accident and called it a “direct result of a united society, determined to take back” its communities and create a safer zone for every soul.

At the event, various stakeholders also came up with a wide-ranging review of the results of the campaign which was launched in the first week of September. They spoke about data-based insights gathered from community activities and drew up practical strategies to curb crime and violence across St. Kitts & Nevis in the future. 

The Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force highlighted that reported crimes fell from 306 in the second quarter of 2024 to 247 in the third quarter.

Crime not a political tool, says PM Drew

One of the significant aspects of the anti-crime campaign has been its community-based approach, which marked a welcome transformation in the government’s approach to public safety. Prime Minister Drew’s words that crime is not a political tool and his appeal to leaders and citizens to treat it as a societal menace summarized it well. 

“Crime is not a political tool,” the prime minister said. “It is a national issue that transcends political affiliations. To tackle it effectively, we must remove partisanship and focus on the shared goal of creating a safer St. Kitts and Nevis for all.”

A high point of the community-centric approach to reducing crime was seen on November 14 when a community conversation was organized at the Unique Touch Christian Centre Ministries International in the town of Sandy Point. More than 60 people, including children, teens and elderly people, assembled for a dialogue. The campaign, which eyed root causes of crime, witnessed engagement across all social sectors, from police and government officials to community leaders, educators, and people from faith-based bodies.

Dr Drew also welcomed the fact that firearm-related homicides went down by 66 per cent from an average of three a month before the initiative began.

Calling it “a significant milestone, well beyond the margin of error in statistical terms”, the PM said it showed when communities join hands, the results could be telling. 

The campaign’s holistic and inclusive approach was credited for its success. The strategies it adopted included prevention, education, rehabilitation, and support for mental health. The twin plans of engaging vulnerable groups and enforcing law saw the disappearance of a significant number of firearms from the streets this year. 

The Drew government is not done with the anti-crime efforts. It has plans to use the campaign’s findings to ensure citizens’ security and integrate them into the nation’s governance structure. 

St. Kitts & Nevis also seeks to take a regional lead by sharing inputs from its successful campaign at home at the Third CARICOM Symposium on Crime as a matter of public health concern.