By Admin. Updated 1:11 p.m., Friday, October 27, 2023, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).
New legislation, gun amnesty, and increased use of technology are some of the crime-fighting measures announced by Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves during his 2023 independence address.
The prime minister said the measures fall under the Independence From Fear Programme.
Dr. Gonsalves said that among the initiatives being proposed to fight violent crime is a gun amnesty immediately following the passage of legislation next month to increase penalties for possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition.
He said the Commissioner of Police will announce the details shortly.
“The idea is to get you to bring in your illegal firearm. You will have a chance, but after this chance, we are increasing the penalties and we will intensify prosecution,” the Prime Minister said.
Dr. Gonsalves alsomsais that as part of the anti-crime measures, “we are placing additional CCTV cameras across our country and the use of body cameras for the police, and we are implementing a program of further ramp up the placement of streetlights”.
He said “the Commissioner of Police has presented a strategic plan to me, and within that framework, there are particular pieces of crime-fighting legislation that we will bring to Parliament, and we are going to carry out a structured programme to rehabilitate all the police stations”.
“Then, through the Police Force and the National Commission on Crime Prevention, we are going to have an expansion of the outreach initiatives between the police and the community,” the prime minister added.
This year has been another record-equalling year, so far, for the number of homicides occurring in the country with 42 being recorded up to October. A record-breaking 42 homicides took place in 2022.
Additionally, 2023 saw the country’s first mass-killing event in July when five individuals lost their lives in a mass shooting event in the capital – Kingstown.
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