St. Clair Leacock, serving as Acting Prime Minister, Minister of National Security, and Parliamentary Representative for Central Kingstown, expressed deep sadness and condolences following a tragic shooting in the Green Hill community.
Describing Green Hill as traditionally the most peaceful part of his constituency, Leacock conveyed profound regrets on behalf of the Prime Minister, the government, and the citizens of St. Vincent and the Grenadines to the families who lost loved ones. He condemned the violence as deeply unfortunate and entirely unnecessary.
The majority of the victims were young people under 30 years old, with many under the age of 20. Reflecting on the incident, Leacock noted the irony that just the previous evening he had spoken to the Cadet Force on their 90th anniversary about moral courage and community leadership.
While noting that St. Vincent remains a peaceful country and exercising caution regarding the national investment climate, he acknowledged that gang proliferation and homicides have created a serious nightmare. He also cited another outbreak of youth anger and violence at a local business house that same evening, urging the nation to confront how and when this scourge will be addressed.
Leacock stressed that law enforcement agencies alone cannot resolve the crisis, emphasizing that St. Vincent and the Grenadines cannot “arrest and prosecute” its way out of crime and violence.
Instead, he called for a “whole of St. Vincent” collective approach involving basic socializing institutions, including families, schools, and faith-based communities. Recalling a proposal he introduced over 25 years ago for a “Social, Spiritual, and Redemption Charter,” he advocated for renewed investment in youth organizations, crime prevention, and basic Christian values.
Addressing resource priorities, Leacock highlighted a critical contrast in state expenditure, noting that keeping an individual in prison costs nearly $16,000 annually, compared to a mere $5 per person allocated to youth organizations such as the Cadets, Scouts, Girl Guides, and Pathfinders.
He raised concern over declining participation in local youth groups relative to regional neighbors like Barbados, calling for a unified national push to steer young people away from crime while supporting ongoing law enforcement efforts under the Minister of Police.
