EDITOR: The year 2023 did not start out peacefully; instead it began where the peace was disturbed because of the way in which two of our young men met their deaths.

Due to the limited space I would be brief in a look at murders. Putting blame politically on the present government for the crime rate is a childish mentality.

You and I know that no government can eradicate crimes but can put measures in place so as to as reduce it. There are many causes of crimes.

If we take a closer look at these murders we would realize that it has nothing to do with poverty. The bible tells us in Jeremiah 17:9, that “the heart of man is deceitful and desperately wicked, who can know it”?

As a result of the heart of man there would always be murders, for men would seek to revenge and destroy others. It has to be someone with a wicked heart to shoot someone or stab them. But that is the harsh reality.

I am of the opinion that some of the murders are revenge.Yes, we believe that drugs trade and gangs contribute also. However, when we hear of some of these men who were killed and their past criminal history it is fair to say that it is a case of revenge.

This is where it becomes dangerous as it will be a cycle of revenge, where the victim’s friends will in return seek to take revenge, and the cycle will go on.

What I do feel is that in many cases the sentences these murders receive are too short, and as a result when they come back out they sometimes continue to destroy others as they seek to revenge others whom they thought were responsible for them being in prison.

While, on the other hand, the victims sometimes can feel that the person who was sentenced was not given a stiff enough penalty so the victim’s friends or relatives may seek to take their own revenge.

Is it also a case that persons have very little confi dence in the justice system that they sometimes would withhold information and so would seek to take their own revenge?

Also, they not having confidence in the just system would seek to take their own justice by killing those they thought were responsible for the death of their loved ones.

The entering of illegal firearms into this country is one of grave concern. We know that we cannot perfectly man every port and sea port, but more efforts must be made to gather information and so continue to search and man the ports and sea ports.

Nothing is perfect and so there would still be persons who will be able to beat the system.

I strongly recommend that more CCTV be placed in strategic points so as to monitor these activities, both the murders and illegal entry of firearms. It is also important that in some areas that are lonely that there be street lights and more patrol by police. I also recommend that there be in some areas mobile police stations.

Finally, the death of the young man whom police killed must be thoroughly investigated by private investigators. We know that there are three sides of every story. We have heard the police side and we are hearing a different side from residents who claim that what the police report is not true. Therefore, which side is telling the truth? Are the police or the residents?

With the presence of cameras around some evidence of what took place would have been seen.

Let us hope that there would be no more killings in a hurry by either civilians or police. Let peace, love, forgiveness, and goodwill to all, be present amongst us for this year. For we know that every life matters and the God of Justice will one day give the true justice.

May God bless SVG.

Kennard King