Opposition Antigua Labour Party drafts plan to curb crime
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| Published on Friday, August 8, 2008 |
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By Oscar Ramjeet
Caribbean Net News Special Correspondents
Email: oscar@caribbeannetnews.com
ST JOHN’S, Antigua: The Opposition Antigua Labour Party (ALP) has drafted an elaborate plan to curb the upsurge of violent crimes that have been plaguing Antigua and Barbuda for the past few years. They include homicide, rapes, robbery and assault.
The main objective of plan known as "A National Plan for Curbing Crime" is to save Antigua and Barbuda, protect its people and assure its common future in peace and prosperity for all.
The plans refers to drug trafficking, gangs, criminal deportees, crime in schools, which are the main reasons for the 40 homicides during the past 19 months and which no doubt would have an adverse affect to the tourist industry that accounts for 70 percent of the country's GDP and is the single largest employer.
Last week, a British doctor, Catherne Mullany, was brutally murdered and her newlywed husband was seriously injured when they were attacked in their hotel room. There have been numerous incidents of crime directed at tourists -- several rapes, robberies and other attacks.
According to the Plan, drug trafficking has spawned gangs, turf wars and the smuggling of illegal weapons into the country. Some of the homicides that have occurred show signs of "executions", either between rival gangs or disputes within gangs. But some of the guns made available to the "foot soldiers" in the drug trade appear to be used by them in "freelance " activity of their own, such as armed robberies that have taken place and the recent spate of murders.
Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer announced that he will tighten immigration procedures and practices because he is of the belief that the crimes are mostly or entirely conducted by immigrants. He plans to introduce legislation aimed at monitoring deportees to the country and deporting convicted criminals from the country.
He also proposes to revisit the Magistrate's Code of Procedure Act and amend the existing legislation to ensure that fines are not a penalty-option in respect of violent crime, and that bail applications for violent crimes and the possession of offensive weapons will be returned to the High Court.
The opposition ALP opposes the Prime Minister's proposals, contending that they have the effect of punishing the innocent with the yet-to-be proven guilty and is a violation of the Constitution of Antigua and Barbuda.
The ALP National Plan for Curbing Crime stated that there has been a breakdown of discipline in the school system, since there is too much violence in schools, the possession of knives, assaults on teachers, a rise of lawlessness perhaps adopted from other cultures through television and music, and some of it is the consequence of unemployment and poverty.
The six page document calls for the re-organisation of the police force claiming that it has been demoralised and under-resourced and that experienced policemen from the top ranks of the force have been removed and replaced by hand-picked political appointees.
Since the police force is the front line of fighting crime, they should be provided with proper transportation, modern communications equipment, and training in modern investigative and policing techniques.
The ALP has outlined a wide range of proposals to assist in curbing crime, such as professional training for police, better compensation for police officers, redevelopment of police officers to patrol communities, toughen laws on illegal firearms, a fortnightly inventory of the weapons in the armoury of the Police and Defence Force, the building of a modern prison to accommodate the prison population and to separate first time offenders from repeat offenders, and to separate inmates convicted of violent crime from others.
The ALP has issued a call for its National Plan for Curbing crime to be discussed by the Christian Council, and other religious bodies, the Bar Association, the Chamber of Commerce, the Manufacturers Association, the Hotel Association, all the trade unions including the Police Association, the Media Association, Women's Organisations, the designated agencies of the government and the political parties.
The ALP under the leadership of Vere Bird and his son Lester Bird was in power for 23 years before it was defeated in 2004. | | | | Reads : 225 | | | |
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