Opposition MP St. Clair Leacock says where there is joblessness, you will see the escalation of violence, not to exclude the Praedial larceny that is peculiar to rural Saint Vincent the Grenadines.
Leacock on Wednesday on the New Times Programme stated that the increase in crime and violence will negatively impact our investment climate, as it may discourage people from coming here to conduct business. Additionally, it is likely to exacerbate the existing issue of people leaving the shores for greener and safer pastures.
According to Leacock, the first consideration, after a business idea, is which security firm to hire.
“This country is a haven for crime and violence, so we are at 20 for the first half of the year, and we pray to God that we don’t get another 20 because already 20 is too much. We’re still here in this country to see how the over 2000 rounds of ammunition got to the port in Saint Vincent. After several weeks and months, all we had was the Prime Minister’s warning, “Be careful who you allow to send things into your barrel.”
According to Leacock, society desires a peaceful night’s sleep, while the business owner seeks to ensure the security of their enterprise.
”You know that the first person who gets hired after a person has a business idea is the choice of the security firm. After the funeral homes, the fastest-growing employment agencies in St. Vincent and the Grenadines are the security firms. So they are making a statement that this is a place in which people cannot take chances, and we cannot keep backing off and giving more space to the criminal element,” the MP said.
Leacock stated that improving the working conditions is necessary for a more highly motivated police force to perform its duties.
“We have to make them feel that their involvement is not only important, but that all of us are dependent upon them to deliver good service. We have to reward them. We have to provide them with the tools to do their job. We must demonstrate that we are not involved in the daily interference of the police high command, thereby instilling in them a fear of making genuine police decisions. And they don’t have to be compromising and accommodating political operatives because the man you lock up or pick up might be partisan to a particular unit,” Leacock stated.
