Crime Prevention Minister Jeremiah Norbert is warning criminals that for this festive season the authorities will undertake whatever measures necessary to curb crime.
“We will go above and beyond to ensure that a few individuals cannot be so empowered to disrupt the operations of the country,” Norbert said.
Norbert, at Monday’s press briefing, spoke about the escalation of gun violence and other related criminal activity impacting the country.
The minister informed that he had recently attended a three-day regional Ministers for Security meeting, in St Kitts/Nevis, where the focus was on the expanding nature of crime in the Caribbean.
According to him one of the high points of the Ministry of Crime Prevention is coordinating with several social agencies in an effort to bring about a holistic approach to fighting crime.
The related agencies include; the Saint Lucia Social Development Fund (SSDF), the Boys Matter Programme, the Department of Education, and the Schools Security System among major stakeholders.
“It is important for these agencies to coordinate their efforts, to ensure that we can have a holistic approach to crime and crime prevention,” Norbert declared.
Notably, he explained, a division from the SSDF entitled Alliance for Community Transformation will soon be integrated into the Ministry of Crime Prevention to work hand-in-glove with them so that we can coordinate all our efforts to tackle the crime issue.
The minister acknowledged law enforcement officers on the island in their efforts to curb the high incidence of crime in the country.
He disclosed that the police have been provided with a Data Base Programme to better access and analyze situations, such as roadblocks and interventions of that nature to deal with culprits in an effort to strengthen the resources.
“Through the Data Base, the police will be able to have a platform where they can have information sharing …so they too can have access and can combat and intercept these criminal elements,” Norbert asserted.
The minister noted that since crime has become “more organized”, the onus is on the law enforcement officers “to do their part …and to put their best foot forward, with full support from the government.”