By Anesta Henry
Former parliamentarian Hamilton Lashley is calling on CARICOM leaders to engage in dialogue with alleged gang leaders to negotiate measures to end the spate of crime and violence wreaking havoc across the region.
Saying he was prepared for the tongue-lashing he could face from taking such a stance, Lashley argued that St Lucia’s Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre’s announcement on the weekend that he has asked the Regional Security System (RSS) for help in response to deadly gun violence in Vieux Fort is evident that crime and gun violence are at crisis levels in the region.
“It is at crisis levels without a shadow of a doubt,” Lashley said. “The murder rate in the region is too high. They have kept the secret of youth violence in the Caribbean for too long. St Kitts has its problems, Trinidad has its problems and the recent truce in Barbados seems to be working.”
At the conclusion of the 44th Heads of Government Meeting in The Bahamas, Chairman of CARICOM Philip Davis, Prime Minister of the Bahamas, announced that Trinidad and Tobago will host the high-level multi-stakeholder meeting next month to address crime, particularly violent crime as a public health concern.
Davis was speaking at the opening of the 44th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM, in the Bahamas, last month.
However, Lashley insisted that while the meeting in Trinidad will be necessary, he strongly believes that holistic intervention policies and practices are needed “to harmonise the situation and bring back the countries being impacted to a level of accepted normalcy”.
“But CARICOM leaders have to engage the youth including the men that are running the blocks. Any CARICOM Heads of Government meeting to discuss crime and violence among the youth that does not involve the youth, will not solve the problem and will just be another talk shop.
“It is about young people. How could you have a conference about the youth, but don’t include the youth. Or maybe they should have a youth meeting so that the outcomes from that youth meeting could feed into the larger meeting. This has to be a priority on CARICOM’s agenda,” Lashley said.
Prime Minister Pierre announced that the help from the RSS and 24-hour police patrols are among the measures being used to respond to the deadly violence in Vieux Fort where seven people have succumbed to gunshot injuries since last Thursday.
Lashley has also suggested that in order to put a temporary halt to the deadly violence in their countries, St Lucia, Trinidad, Jamaica and other territories fighting against crime, should consider adopting the truce approach initiated in Barbados by former Chapman Lane, St Michael block leader Winston Iston Bull Branch last month.
He said a reduction in reported gang-related violence across Barbados is proof that Branch’s move to call a meeting between warring gangs has been working so far.
“If it can happen in Barbados let us replicate it across the Caribbean and see what happens, even if it is a temporary solution. I still feel that the leaders in Barbados that signed the truce should hold a special conference so that they could also make recommendations to the regional heads of government meeting or CARICOM leaders meeting.
“You need the block leaders’ input so that you can have a holistic intervention programme. Right now, they should be holding subsidiary meetings at the regional level with the youth so that the CARICOM leaders have all the necessary information as to what is happening on the ground,” he said.
Lashley recommended that the Minister of State with the responsibility for Crime Prevention should also be included in any stakeholder meeting being held at the regional level to discuss crime.
“The top down approach only will not work in this instance. The bottom up approach is also necessary. You can’t leave out anybody. This thing is getting real dread. The government in St Lucia like they don’t know what to do. The government in Haiti like they don’t know what to do either. We are the Caribbean, this violence can have an impact on our tourism product.”
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