St Kitts PM Terrance Drew addresses crime & Violence at US-Caribbean Leaders Meeting

Basseterre, St Kitts and Nevis: Dr Terrance Drew, Prime Minister of the Federation of St Kitts and Nevis attended the US-Caribbean Leaders Meeting in Nassau, the Bahamas on June 9, 2023. The meeting was co-hosted by the Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris and Prime Minister of The Bahamas, Philip Brave Davis.

During the meeting, some crucial topics were discussed between US Vice President and the leaders of the Caribbean Community – CARICOM. Few of the topics discussed were issues crime and violence in the region, especially the gun-related crimes such as trafficking and homicides.

Vice President of the United States of America in the midst of meeting mentioned that the administration under President Joe Biden has remained committed towards the disruption of firearms trafficking in the region by interdicting illicit shipments of ammunition and firearms.”

Vice President Harris further added that various people has been succumbed to the gun violence in the Caribbean region and the issue of security is one of the important issue. She was quoted saying, “I will reiterate that our administration is committed to disrupting gun trafficking. We are committed to interdict shipments of arms and ammunition and hold traffickers accountable.”

A brief intervention was provided by the Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis, Dr Terrance Drew. He mentioned that an urgent resolution is required to tackle the crime and violence, especially gun trafficking and homicides, in the region.

Furthermore, Prime Minister Drew shared his plans and strategies as the Minister of National Security of St Kitts and Nevis to resolve the violence and crime related problem. He further regarded all the issues as a public health issue.

Additionally, he took the platform to share his idea of establishing a National Security Taskforce in the country for the safety and security of various sectors – education, national security and social development.