St. Kitts and Nevis: Prime Minister Dr. Terrance Drew as a National Security Minister chaired a significant meeting on Friday, that brought together the leaders and stakeholders from the business community, the church and religious institutions, political parties, sports associations, social clubs, senior government officials and other community-based organisations to serious dialogue on citizen security in St. Kitts and Nevis.

The meeting was mainly focused on serving it as a precursor for the upcoming National Consultation on Citizen Security. It was hosted ahead of the 90-day campaign that will include a series of National Consultations on Violence and Crime as a Public Health Issue.

These consultations will bring together the stakeholders from all the sectors of society to discuss the root causes of crime and to develop the collaborative solutions. Numerous of initiates and activities will be a key part of the 90-day campaign.

Considering this, PM Drew shared a post on his official social media handle and explained that last Friday, they held the key stakeholders’ engagement on citizen security, ahead of the 90-day campaign which will focus on immediate and short-term actions to combat violent crime, particularly gun-related crime.

Prime Minister Drew highlighted that the government of St. Kitts and Nevis is fully committed to the fight against the crime. He said that they have made and will continue to make a significant investment in the National Security apparatus.

He emphasised that they have also adopted a holistic approach to violence and crime, while responding to it as a public health issue. Violence in the society is a disease and it must be treated as such.

However, the 90-day campaign will also include a series of National Consultations on Violence and Crime as a Public Health Issue in St. Kitts and Nevis.

Prime Minister Drew encouraged all the citizens to take an active role in this fight against. He urged the security forces to continue build the relationships with the communities they serve.

The community policing is not just a strategy, but a philosophy that recognised the importance of trust collaboration and mutual respect between the police and the public. When the community trusts the police, they are more likely to cooperate with law enforcement, to report the crimes and to provide valuable information which can prevent the violence before it occurs.