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Saint Vincent and the Grenadines opposition leader Dr. Godwin Friday has expressed concern over violent crime in a statement following Wednesday night’s fatal shooting of five people in the capital, Kingstown.
“This problem is getting out of hand – violent crime, shootings, is out of control in our country,” the New Democratic Party (NDP) President asserted.
Friday noted that in July alone, eleven killings occurred as of the 20th of the month.
“And this year, we are on track to break the dubious record of last year and to have over fifty homicides if the rate continues,” the Vincentian opposition leader declared.
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“We are heading in the wrong direction,” he lamented.
Friday advocated a broad-based approach involving all the country’s stakeholders and influencers.
He stated that the government has demonstrated that it does not have a plan to deal with violent crime.
Friday urged better collaboration with regional and international law enforcement to stop the gun flow and detect, prosecute, and solve violent crime.
In addition, he called for programmes to divert young people into more constructive activities, providing them with a stake in the country’s future.
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“We in the New Democratic Party and the opposition in the parliament have offered to be of assistance in this process. We continue to do so. We have a plan to deal with violent crime in our country, ” Friday observed.
And he called on people with information to assist the police regarding Wednesday’s mass shooting and other unsolved crimes.
The police, currently on high alert, have disclosed that based on their intelligence, there’s a potential for reprisals.
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