UPDATE ON CRIME SITUATION
STATEMENT BY CHIEF MINISTER
DR. THE HONOURABLE D. ORLANDO SMITH
THIRTY-FIRST SITTING OF THE FIRST SESSION OF THE FIFTEENTH
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS
Tuesday, 11 October, 2005
10:00 a.m.
Madam Speaker:
We gather today in this Honourable House, still very much in the shadow of
the recent spate of tragic events.
We share with all the people of the BVI at the loss of those who are no
longer with us; our righteous anger at the senseless violence that has
struck our shores, and, above all, our shared resolve to put the criminals
to route and restore safety and peace to our Territory.
Madam Speaker, on behalf of this Government and the people of this
Territory, I extend my condolences to the family of Roland Serrano who
passed away in a Puerto Rico hospital following an unfortunate and tragic
crime committed against him. Let us keep his family in our prayers.
Madam Speaker, I want to use this opportunity to update this Honourable
House and the people of the BVI on the steps that we have taken over the
past days to secure this goal and what we plan to do moving forward.
We have formulated and are in the process of implementing our announced
7-point Action Plan for fighting crime in the BVI.
I announced that we would bring in outside help and as a first step, we
have brought in experts from the United Kingdom to provide their advice
and counsel about practical steps and recommendations that can be taken to
make our security forces and police more effective.
The first such recommendation – that we combine several units of the
security services, including Special Investigations, the Drug Unit, the
Marine Unit, the Air wing and Intelligence Units under a single unified
command.
This newly formed single unit will now be reconstituted as the Drug and
Violent Crime Task Force and it will serve as the sharp point of the spear
in our fight against crime.
In addition, the Police have been instructed to step up surveillance
operations of suspected criminals, and to increase routine stops and other
on-the-ground tactics that are meant to deter crime.
Madam Speaker: It has been reported that as part of these increased
activities, some additional traffic stops have been made, including many
innocent, law-abiding citizens.
I want to use this opportunity to ask members of the community to be
patient with this new and heightened level of security. The plain truth is
that the price of peace and security is eternal vigilance. And while we
must ensure that the Police act with all due restraint to minimize the
inconvenience to all innocent citizens, we must also recognize that by
casting a wide net, the Police increase their chances of catching
criminals.
The bother of a brief stop on the street is surely a small price to pay if
it drives the criminals underground and helps keep our streets and
neighbourhoods safe.
Madam Speaker: as we work to support our Police and provide them with the
tools and assistance they need to keep us safe, we continue to firmly
insist that only through cooperation with the community can the Police’s
mandate by fully realized.
The Police have an affirmative responsibility not only to conduct
themselves in a professional manner – but also to reach out to the
community and forge stronger bonds of trust and mutual respect. Toward
that end, I am pleased to report that we are working assiduously to
reactivate the Police Advisory Committee. This important Committee will
serve to bring together leadership from the Royal Virgin Islands Police
Force with community leaders to create a forum where views can be
exchanged and concerns can be raised and addressed.
Too often, the feeling in the community is that they are alienated and
kept at a distance from the Police. We must change that culture of
distrust forever. The Police and the community must think and act as one
– working together to achieve the common goal of a safer BVI.
Finally, Madam Speaker: We are moving forward aggressively to develop and
introduce new legislation to more stringently regulate firearms in our
Territory and to increase the penalties for gun crimes.
This process may take some time – we must ensure that the legislation is
prepared properly and does not suffer from hasty drafting because this
issue could not be more important.
Madam Speaker: I am a doctor. I have treated victims of gun wounds. And I
can tell you from my heart that there are few things more devastating than
the impact of a bullet cutting through a person’s body. It is a horror
that need not and must not exist in our Territory. By introducing strong
legislation we will be doing two critical things:
First, we will be creating an iron-clad legal framework for defining and
prosecuting gun crimes. That means ensuring that laws already on the books
are properly enforced, and that the punishments fit the crimes.
Second, this legislation will send a powerful message to every citizen and
resident of the BVI: guns will not be tolerated here.
This Territory will not allow itself to become another sad corner of the
world where thugs walk the streets with a deadly weapon stuck in their
belts. That is not who we are. And that is not who we will ever become.
Madam Speaker: I would like to conclude with a word of thanks to all the
Members of this House both from the Government and the Opposition, along
with religious, community and business leaders from across the Territory
who have responded with such great energy and resolve to the challenge of
crime.
These past days have shown us all what can be done when we stand united. I
would like to take this moment to commend this spirit of togetherness ---
and to urge everyone to do their part to make sure that our unity is not
just a momentary response to crisis – but rather a new standard to which
we can all continually aspire.
Thank you.
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