St Vincent’s (SVG) top COP, Enville Williams, in a press conference today at police headquarters in Kingstown, sent a strong message to criminals and those who protect them: ‘We are coming for you’.
Williams said the force recognizes there is a problem with crime, especially as it relates to gun crimes, and said, ‘Make no mistake’ the force is fully committed to rooting it out.
”I want to again appeal to our nation’s youths, those who think it is okay to perpetuate these crimes, to stop. Make no mistake. Make absolutely no mistake. Our resolve to get rid of the guns from the streets of SVG is strong. We want to give you an opportunity to give up the guns and the ammunition where you have them. But make no mistake. We are resolved to get them”.
Williams said that for those who believe that they have an upper hand, he wants them to know that the police force will do all that they have to do to protect the people and good name of SVG from these senseless acts of violence.
“There is a small segment of society that harbours criminals and protects them from police action and/or prosecution. I say to them, Stop this act. It is eroding society—the very society that you live in. It is undermining the peace and the safety of your neighbours, and if you continue to do it, we will come for you. Likewise, I want to appeal to you not to hire them, not to give them shelter or a safe space to operate in, because by doing that, your neighbours and your brothers and sisters will be affected by the crimes they perpetrate. And this must stop”.
Williams said so far, the nation has recorded 47 homicides, and 43 of those have been classified as murders.
“From that, 43, 36 were done with the use of illegal firearms and ammunition. But like I said before, we have a problem. That is the reason why the government and CARICOM are cheating on illegal firearms as a pandemic, so that it is not just a police problem but a whole-of-society problem. And as such, we must address this pandemic in a united fashion”, Williams said.
