Ease of getting guns at centre of killings in SVG, says PM

At the heart of the killings that have been taking place in St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) is the ease with which people are able to get guns.

This is the assessment of Prime Minister and Minister of National Security Dr Ralph Gonsalves, which he shared yesterday on the ‘Shake Up’ programme on WE FM.

“There are different types of killings, but at the heart of it is the ease at which people get guns,” the Prime Minister said.

According to Gonsalves, the guns originate in the United States, pass through “our dangerous neighbourhood” and slip into the country through various ports of entry and other places where there are no ports of entry.

The Prime Minister said each of the killings is because of an absence of restraint, or is an associational killing or related to other criminal activity.

“Again, I have to urge restraint on the part of people. Some of the killings are absence of restraint killings. People just don’t know how to solve their problems by peaceful means. Some of them are related to associational movements. One set of people having some set of argument with another set of people….[while] some are connected to criminal activity of one kind or another.”

The Prime Minister said each type of killing has to be dealt with in a different manner and requires different types of policing and social responses.

Police say between last Thursday evening and Saturday night, four people died by way of the gun, bringing the number of homicides for the year to 28.

Gonsalves said over the weekend, he was in constant communication with acting Commissioner of Police Colin John and yesterday morning he had a meeting with the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of National Security.

He said a lot of resources are spent on the police on training and co-operating with regional and international agencies.

The National Security Minister did not give the specifics of the plan to combat crime, but assured that additional measures would take effect.

“Amidst all that is going on, we have to make sure that we have citizen security at the top of our agenda,” Gonsalves said.(CB)