St. Clair Leacock, an Opposition MP in St. Vincent, believes the island’s administration should seek help from external agencies to combat the island’s rising crime rate.
On Wednesday, February 8, Leacock stated that members of Parliament are likewise at risk and vulnerable to gun violence when they socialize with people in their constituencies.
“I think that St. Vincent and the Grenadines needs to go outside of its borders and request assistance to deal with the present crime situation.” Access the Regional Security System, a mechanism set up by regional governments. Help needs to be sought from the International Police Organization (INTERPOL), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), or “whichever international agency has the resources to help bring criminals to justice.”
“Recent happenings have made me realize how much we (politicians) are at risk and exposed. When these shooters are looking for their prey, they are unconcerned about whose company their target is in. I have reduced considerably my hanging out on the blocks because this is a matter that is really out of hand,” Leacock stated.
In addition to the crimes committed, Leacock remarked on Wednesday that he is dissatisfied with the rate at which killings are solved.
Authorities in St Vincent says the increase in the murder rate is primarily the result of young people falling in love with the gun culture and the cocaine trade.
After being in power for more than 20 years, Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said on WEFM, a privately owned radio station, on December 18, 2022, that governments didn’t have the “magic bullet” to stop crime.
On Thursday night, Perlina Greaves, a 28-year-old timekeeper from Dorsetshire Hill, was shot in the head as the gun violence continued.
Greaves is currently listed in critical condition and is unresponsive at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital, according to a police report issued on Friday.
