Nevis surveillance cameras to deter gangs

By William Doyle-Marshall
Surveillance cameras, a new Police Station, barracks to accommodate more police officers and new police cars for Nevis are among ventures of the Nevis Island Administration’s anti-crime plan.
Premier Joseph Parry while addressing a Town Hall Meeting here recently as part of a North American tour disclosed that these were being pursued vigorously.
Parry said surveillance cameras are being installed in Charlestown and other parts of the island including New Castle and all those areas where gangs are being formed. “We must see what they are doing midnight and whenever; and if they think that they can go and destroy those cameras, the cameras will catch them and their pictures will be seen and they will be identified,” the Premier promised.
Premier Parry announced that movement on the boats and other locations are going to be monitored because some of the criminals in Nevis are working with those in St. Kitts.
“We have gotten cars. We say you can’t move around? You have people going around the place and doing stupid things, now here you are police officers, you are able to get to places very quickly,” Parry reported.
He admitted having some difficulty with the young men who get into trouble so easily for doing silly things. Parry was concerned that jail is like a training school for them as it is an opportunity for them to mingle with the hardened criminals and when they come out they start moving in a road that is unwanted.
That situation has been compounded with the returnees. The premier lamented some returnees are criminals and the police have difficulty in controlling them. “But we keep trying and we are hopeful that we can keep things under control,” the Premier continued.
“The Cottonground Police Station is being constructed on the main road and it is expected to be completed in the next few months. It will be responsible for policing the whole of Nevis.
Regarding education, every government primary school has a new bank of computers. This is in keeping with a federal government promise during the last elections. “So we are having computers on the island of Nevis as well and we have gone further and we have said look we want computers for the sixth formers,” Premier Parry announced.
However, he said stringent steps have been taken to prevent children from doing mischievous things like going on websites that are not related to education. These computers will have restricted use mainly for education. Parry said a government owned system that will be in place to help the children access the Internet free. It will also support surveillance cameras around the island.
In addition the Charlestown Secondary School has been expanded with the building of four classrooms and the size of the staff room has been increased. According to the Premier it is the first time the school has been improved since 1976. “It created comfort for teachers and it created comfort for teachers who would be more willing to teach the children. The Charlestown Secondary and the Gingerland High School have had outstanding results over the past years and have been getting better and better,” Parry told the Toronto gathering.