The absolute tripe that has been spewed on political platforms over the past decades as it relates to crime was never going to solve anything. The records show each opposition party vehemently criticizing the government of the day, promising to solve the country’s crime problem when voted into office. The uncomfortable truth is that each opposition party knows all too well that these promises are impossible to fulfill in the short term, yet it continues to happen.
Crime and poverty are said to be “complexly intertwined, with poverty creating conditions such as economic desperation, lack of opportunity, and social isolation that increase the likelihood of criminal activity.” In short, poverty is a fuel for crime. That established, how then can we solve the crime problem in 5 years. At best we may be able to dent the increase through various policing policies.
To be balanced, there is that long standing question, does poverty drive crime or does crime drive poverty? One can argue that white collar crime drives poverty, but it is believed that, for the purposes of the Caribbean region and more specifically St. Lucia, it is poverty doing the driving for the most part.
In the case of the present government, they may be on the right path although it is yet to be determined whether it is a strategic concrete plan or an inadvertent stumble onto the yellow brick road.
The issue of actively engaging the countries’ young people is undoubtedly the way to go and while we are not singing the government’s praises they must be commended on this issue largely because of the possible impact.
Quite apart from the Youth Economy and as well the inroads in sports, and the much-publicized bursaries and CXC fees and the likes, there are interventions at the primary and preschool levels, the impact of which will be realized long after some in government have demitted public office. It must also be noted that the former administration similarly seemed to have had the right idea. Back in 2017, the then government installed The Youth Empowerment Project which was funded by the Caribbean Development Bank which targeted at-risk youth.
Jamaica, as an example, has seen what can be described as a sharp decline in violent crimes over the last 4 year, reportedly largely due to a concentrated effort by the Andrew Holness administration on organized gang criminality.
It stands to reason then that if we adopt a two-pronged approach, focusing on the young among us and the current offenders, we will be perfectly placed.
Again, we are certainly not the mouthpiece of this government, however if we have not come to the realization that there is only a long-term fix for crime in St. Lucia then we are certainly lost.