Searchlight Logo
special_image

    • News
      • Front Page
      • News
      • Breaking News
      • Press Release
      • Features
      • Special Features
      • From the Courts
      • Sports
      • Regional / World
    • Opinions
      • Editorial
      • Our Readers’ Opinions
      • Bassy – Love Vine
      • Dr. Fraser- Point of View
      • R. Rose – Eye of the Needle
      • On Target
      • Dr Jozelle Miller
      • The World Around Us
      • Random Thoughts
    • Advice
      • Kitchen Corner
      • What’s on Fleek this week
      • Health Wise
      • Physician’s Weekly
      • Business Buzz
      • Hey Rosie!
      • Prime the pump
    • ePaper
    • Obituaries
      • In Memoriam / Acknowledgement
      • Tribute
    • Contact Us
      • Advertise With Us
      • Letters To The Editor
      • General Contact Information
      • Contact our Webmaster
    • About Us
      • Interactive Media Ltd
      • St. Vincent & the Grenadines
    • Subscribe
    • News
      • Front Page
      • News
      • Breaking News
      • Press Release
      • Features
      • Special Features
      • From the Courts
      • Sports
      • Regional / World
    • Opinions
      • Editorial
      • Our Readers’ Opinions
      • Bassy – Love Vine
      • Dr. Fraser- Point of View
      • R. Rose – Eye of the Needle
      • On Target
      • Dr Jozelle Miller
      • The World Around Us
      • Random Thoughts
    • Advice
      • Kitchen Corner
      • What’s on Fleek this week
      • Health Wise
      • Physician’s Weekly
      • Business Buzz
      • Hey Rosie!
      • Prime the pump
    • ePaper
    • Obituaries
      • In Memoriam / Acknowledgement
      • Tribute
    • Contact Us
      • Advertise With Us
      • Letters To The Editor
      • General Contact Information
      • Contact our Webmaster
    • About Us
      • Interactive Media Ltd
      • St. Vincent & the Grenadines
    • Subscribe
OPINION: St Vincent and the Grenadines is a safety paradise
Villa Beach, St Vincent
Our Readers' Opinions
January 5, 2023

OPINION: St Vincent and the Grenadines is a safety paradise

by Marlon Bute

St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) is a pretty safe place. In fact, SVG is one of the safest places in the Caribbean and the World. And so, I reject the notion or claim as aired on the OMG Show on BOOM FM that SVG is the second most dangerous place in the Caribbean. The popular radio host, Bing Joseph was actually referring to a YouTube video which listed the safety of Caribbean countries based on one single, indicator, the murder rate. Jamaica topped the list and SVG came in second. So as far as that YouTuber was concerned, SVG was more dangerous than Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, and St. Lucia and other Caribbean countries.

But, there is one fatal flaw in the analysis. One simply cannot sensibly use a country’s murder rate as the the sole basis to assess that population’s safety.

How about other crimes like carjackings, armed robberies, kidnappings, home invasions and so on? What are the hot spots in SVG where citizens should absolutely stay away from?

I visited SVG twice in 2022, during the months of October and December. Before then, I hadn’t been back to SVG in almost 20 years. Admittedly, I had some concerns prior to arriving in SVG for personal safety. 20 years is a pretty long time to stay away from your homeland. People change and places change. But, I soon was disabused of those concerns just a day after arriving home. SVG hadn’t changed much. The town was still teeming with commercial activity and I was soon to discover that over 2 dozen food and entertainment spots had popped up since I left. I visited many  of them and most times they seemed well patronized with the young and the  not so young imbibing in a drink or two,  or dining, and simply frolicking as young people do.

There were times that I, like others, including my brother, Grubby, a University professor and historian left those entertainment places pretty late. There was a time that, the historian and UWI lecturer,  Dr. Cleve Scott and I limed until 4 AM. We hadn’t seen each other since we were at UWI in the early 90s. We felt super safe. At no time did we express concerns for our safety. And, I suspect the same hold for the hundreds and thousands who visit the various entertainment districts on a weekly basis. They feel safe.

Now, I asked about kidnappings, carjackings, robberies, home invasions and so on. These things are extremely rare or simply unheard of in SVG. I do not recall of hearing of the home of a family being busted in  by robbers as they sat for dinner or as they slept and of  that family being terrorized. I do not know that folks are kidnapped and held for ransom as is frequently the case in a neighboring island. I do not know that Vincentians are ever relieved of their cars and their cars ransacked for jewelry and other valuables. I do not know that businesses  like supermarkets, restaurants, banks, shops, minivans and so on are robbed as happens in a couple other Caribbean countries. And I do not know of a place in Kingstown or throughout the whole of SVG where Vincentians are afraid to go or  simply do not go to,  for fear of being the victim of a violent crime.

One cannot say the same for several of our Caribbean nationals. Even a walk in their capital cities could end up in a mugging or you being the victim of a pickpocket.

Vincentians wear jewelry freely and boldly. They take out their wallets and purses and wads of cash in broad daylight as in the darkness of night without fear of losing it. And it must be noted also, that unlike a few of our Caribbean neighbors where patrons at supermarkets, banks, restaurants and so on are greeted by armed guards, even some with machine guns slung over their shoulders, that that is something that’s completely alien to SVG. We pretty much go about our business freely and safely and the very absence of heavily armed guards is an indication of how safe we are and feel we are as a people.

When is the last time any of us visited Barbados, or Trinidad or Jamaica or even Haiti? How about the French Islands? Let’s go Caricom wide. How about Guyana and Belize? I find the fact that our Police are mostly unarmed and haven’t seen the need to wear bulletproof vests, an indication of how safe we are as a multi island state. We generally get along quite well with our police officers and they are almost never the target of crimes unlike other countries where there appears to be a tremendous mistrust and a lack  of respect for the Police.

Now, I think that as a people we have to be alert and aware of our surroundings and that we ought not to take our safety for granted. We ought to do the things to keep our homes and families safe. Lock our doors. Lock our windows and so on just as I do in Canada. We have to look out for our neighbors and we have to cooperate with our police officers and work with them to keep SVG safe. We do have crime. All countries have crime. We simply are not at that stage as yet where we can’t walk the streets of Kingstown or enjoy SVG safely.

We go to the rivers and to the beaches and to the mountains and the small villages throughout the islands of SVG, safely. Further, we are actually welcomed when we do so. It has been so since I have known myself and I suspect that SVG would remain so once we are determined to keep it safe.

The issue of the high murder rate in SVG is of tremendous concern to the government and the opposition. While, it’s clear that the overwhelming majority of these murders are drugs related and therefore, relatively isolated from the rest of the population, we should want all our young people to find legitimate and useful ways of making a dollar instead of resorting to a life or crime. Our population is quite small. So we need to do our best to create an environment where everyone has an opportunity to become a productive member of society. Those who live a life of crime, chose that life. We could make it harder for them to make that choice.

Our record murder rate that rightly puts us among countries with the highest murder rates in the region, doesn’t make SVG unsafe. It means that we have to prevent it from spilling over into other areas.

What people need to understand is that the ratio of murders per 100,000 cannot be used as the key measurement of safety in SVG and has limited comparative value because it distorts the reality of the experiences of the vast majority of Vincentians.   And this by no means reduces the urgency of  the police and the government to design and implement safety measures to reduce our murder rates in the short term.

More police patrols, more lighting in entertainment districts, CCTV cameras at strategic points, neighborhood watches, anonymous tip lines, removal of dark tints from private vehicles, electronic surveillance, community policing and so on are all proven to help in crime prevention and detection.

But, for now, I can’t think of a Caribbean country that I have felt safer in than in SVG. I have lived in or been to several of them. For safety, we are paradisal.

 

 

 

 

 

  • FacebookComments
  • ALSO IN THE NEWS
    Domestic worker killed at Long Wall
    Front Page
    Domestic worker killed at Long Wall
    Webmaster 
    September 12, 2025
    FAMILY MEMBERS of a woman who was killed at Long Wall say they suspect their relative was hacked by a person they all know very well. On Tuesday, Sept...
    NDP never built a single house in SVG – Finance Minister
    Front Page
    NDP never built a single house in SVG – Finance Minister
    Webmaster 
    September 12, 2025
    THE IDEA THAT HOUSING is a right, that every Vincentian has a right to safe and secure housing, and that the government has a role to play in ensuring...
    No bail for Police officer charged with attempted murder
    Front Page
    No bail for Police officer charged with attempted murder
    Webmaster 
    September 12, 2025
    A POLICE OFFICER, who allegedly stabbed his ex-girlfriend 26 times about her body was remanded even as his lawyer argued that the Royal St Vincent and...
    New ULP Administration will roll out AI policy
    Front Page
    New ULP Administration will roll out AI policy
    Webmaster 
    September 12, 2025
    A NEW UNITY LABOUR PARTY ADMINISTRATION will be rolling out an Artificial Intelligence (AI) policy to embrace its positives and guard against the nega...
    Sandy Bay Secondary School marks 20th Anniversary
    Front Page
    Sandy Bay Secondary School marks 20th Anniversary
    Webmaster 
    September 12, 2025
    TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER, 9,2025 was a memorable day for the staff and students of the Sandy Bay Secondary School, which was marking its 20th anniversary wi...
    Foundation implements community driven project in SVG
    News
    Foundation implements community driven project in SVG
    Webmaster 
    September 12, 2025
    THE ASHLEY LASHLEY Foundation, with support from the United States Government, is implementing a local-level project entitled “Community-Driven Strate...
    News
    Foundation implements community driven project in SVG
    News
    Foundation implements community driven project in SVG
    Webmaster 
    September 12, 2025
    THE ASHLEY LASHLEY Foundation, with support from the United States Government, is implementing a local-level project entitled “Community-Driven Strate...
    Skills not available locally, non-nationals have to be hired says Finance Minister
    News
    Skills not available locally, non-nationals have to be hired says Finance Minister
    Webmaster 
    September 12, 2025
    NON- NATIONALS ARE being hired to fill several jobs in St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) simply because locals did not have the required skill sets....
    Montgomery Daniel squashes rumours that he’s sick
    News
    Montgomery Daniel squashes rumours that he’s sick
    Webmaster 
    September 12, 2025
    DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER Montgomery Daniel has sought to clear around rumours that have been circulating relating to his health. Speaking on NBC radio on...
    $1.3 billion in Tourism investment to yield 2,000 jobs – Camillo
    News
    $1.3 billion in Tourism investment to yield 2,000 jobs – Camillo
    Webmaster 
    September 12, 2025
    The GOVERNMENT of St Vincent and the Grenadines is set to sign agreements for tourism investment of $1.3 billion on mainland St.Vincent. On Monday, Se...
    Bagga’ man pleads guilty to illegal gun, ammo possession
    From the Courts, News
    Bagga’ man pleads guilty to illegal gun, ammo possession
    Webmaster 
    September 12, 2025
    A BARROUALLIE MAN will be sentenced next week after pleading guilty to being in illegal possession of a firearm and eight rounds of ammunition. Demron...

    E-EDITION
    ePaper
    google_play
    app_store
    Subscribe Now
    • Interactive Media Ltd. • P.O. Box 152 • Kingstown • St. Vincent and the Grenadines • Phone: 784-456-1558 © Copyright Interactive Media Ltd.. All rights reserved.
    We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok