Police increase presence in city
AMID GROWING CONCERNS of an upsurge in shootings in Kingstown, the Royal St Vincent and the Grenadines (RSVGPF), has increased its presence on the streets of the capital between Harbor Club/Up Town, and Rose Place/Bottom Town.
The increased police presence has seen police officers on foot patrol and moving in two’s, with one of them carrying a high-powered rifle, and the other a sidearm.
The patrols are part of an initiative implemented by the new Police High Command headed by Trevor “Buju” Bailey who was recently appointed Acting Commissioner of Police, along with Acting Assistant Commissioner; Brenton Smith who has been charged with responsibility for crime-fighting; and Acting Deputy Commissioner of Police, Junior Simmons.
During a press conference last week, COP Bailey said the public should not be alarmed by the presence of these police officers as they are trained in the use of the weapons they carry and are there to serve the public.
He said the RSVGPF is engaged in a war with people who are criminally minded, not against the law-abiding citizens.
“We note that there may be people in the communities who benefit directly from criminal activities and they may want to put up a little resistance because they are protecting their meal. Know that our war is not with you and we mean you no harm. We want to rid St Vincent and the Grenadines of criminality,” COP Bailey said, while noting that the RSVGPF recognizes they cannot do that alone.
He said they are asking for the cooperation of citizens and “if you see something say something to us and we will respond, we will do that which we have to do to rid St Vincent and the Grenadines of criminality and gun violence”.
Acting Commissioner Bailey also noted that there are never enough police officers but they will have to make do with what they have while paying close attention to where police officers are placed and the areas that require attention.
“We can do well with more boots on the ground,” the COP said.
The increased police presence on the streets comes as the country has so far recorded 32 homicides, most of them gun related, including a weekend (between August 14 to August 17) that saw four separate shooting incidents with two resulting in females being hospitalised.
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