St. Kitts and Nevis Citizen Security Task Force to host Day of Disruption to inspire students against crime and violence

St. Kitts and Nevis’ Citizen Security Task Force (CSTF) hosted the Day of Disruption on Wednesday, February 26, 2025, which  witnessed intervention by students across St. Kitts to keep young people away from crime and violence. 

Special assemblies will take place in schools in the island during the St. Kitts edition of the initiative and they will see presentations from key people, including political leaders, community and business leaders, influencers and other distinguished individuals. The assemblies will be held simultaneously in classrooms, auditoriums and schoolyards to raise one collective voice of hope, strength and positive change. 

The initiative, which is organized by the CSTF and the education ministry, aims to inspire and empower students by bringing them closer to successful role models who lead successful lives as law-abiding citizens. The CSTF is chaired by Prime Minister Dr Terrance Drew, who is also the Minister of National Security. 

Beyond 90-Day campaign

The PM Drew-led government took a key initiative between September and December 2024 called the 90-Day Campaign Against Crime and Violence aimed to address crime through the prism of a public health approach and promote holistic, community-driven solutions.

St. Kitts and Nevis has not lowered the guard after the campaign delivered encouraging results, like a substantial fall in the rate of homicide. Earlier in February, PM Drew said two major events were being organised to follow the three-month campaign. They are the Day of Interruption to highlight citizen security in schools across the Federation and the Better Opportunity Summit, which also targets the country’s youth. 

What PM Drew said about Day of Interruption

The prime minister said about the Day of Interruption earlier in February, “We have already started beyond the 90 days. For example, we’re going to have a day of what we call a significant day. We will highlight across the schools in St. Kitts and Nevis the matter of citizen security. We will have people going to the school on a significant day. That day will just be about talking about citizen security, and so we call it a day of interruption to just go in and just highlight it so much that that would be the buzz around St. Kitts and Nevis. All the schools on that particular day have to deal with this particular matter.”

The Day of Interruption will address the problem of youth vulnerability. With youth crime and violence remaining a worry, the government feels a growing need for early intervention and positive reinforcement in schools. The absence of a positive intervention could see the at-risk youth taking the wrong path, engaging in crime, gang activity and instability. 

Wednesday’s event will see a number of high-profile speakers, including PM Drew, St. Kitts and Nevis Police Commissioner James Sutton, Chief Medical Officer Hazel Laws, Senator Isalean Phillip and Paston Lincoln Connor. They will share their journeys and insights on achieving success through hard work, resilience and integrity. 

Each assembly will feature an opening prayer, reading of scriptures, an inspirational song, dance and spoken word performances, along with motivational speeches by the guest speaker. An interactive reflection session with students will also follow, besides the closing remarks.

Eartha Carey, coordinator of St. Kitts and Nevis’s Citizen Security Secretariat (CSS) which was created in 2024 to stress citizens’ well-being and safety, underscored the initiative’s role in preventing crime. 

“This intervention is about changing perspectives and shifting mindsets. By showing students real-life examples of individuals who have made positive choices, we are reinforcing the message that there are many pathways to success,” she said.