By Gaston Browne
I address you as the head of government, driven by the same deep concern that you all share over the recent surge in gun-related robberies and acts of violence plaguing our society. It is a matter of utmost urgency, and I assure you of my administration’s unswerving commitment to take the fight to these criminal elements and to defeat them.
Your government was elected to serve and protect; you-the law-abiding citizens and residents of our nation, from the scourge of crime and violence. You and your children have an inalienable right to live free from fear, assured that your safety and well-being are our highest priorities.
This is not just a duty; it is an obligation that neither I, as your prime minister, nor any member of your government, will ever shrink from or apologize for. It’s an obligation for which I accept full responsibility as your chief servant. We are resolute in our mission to protect you, no matter the senseless partisan rhetoric spouted by the opportunistic voices of our political opponents. While they manufacture excuses, giving comfort to these degenerates for their criminal behaviors and seek to distract from the issue at hand; your government remains focused on ensuring the safety and security of every citizen and resident.
Let me be crystal clear: neither I nor my government have ever interfered with the independence of the judiciary.
However, as the elected representatives of the people, we are obligated to voice our concerns when it comes to curbing the rising tide of violence in our nation. This is not interference; it is a necessary dialogue in the fight against crime and violence. The electorate of Antigua and Barbuda entrusted us with the responsibility to combat crime and to maintain the security of our nation.
We expect the judiciary and the legislature to join us in this endeavor. We must stand united in protecting our people from the predators who threaten the peace and tranquility in our communities, especially those who wield guns and endanger innocent lives.
In this regard, I want to take a moment to commend the commissioner of police and the entire police force, who serve as the guardians of our people against crime and lawlessness. Their readiness to put their own lives at risk in standing up to the criminals who terrorize our communities is nothing short of heroic.
We are all aware of the brazen willingness of some criminals to shoot at the police while they are conducting their duty to protect us. I hereby unapologetically state: that while our police officers will continue to act with all due care and caution, they have a fundamental right to protect themselves. They too have rights; they too have families who expect them to come home safely after carrying out their duties.
I also wish to extend my commendation to the members of the Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force, who have stepped up to assist the police with patrols that secure our homes and businesses, ensuring that our people remain safe and secure. Their contribution is invaluable, and together, with other security forces, including ONDCP; our security forces stand as a formidable barrier against those who seek to destabilize our country and to disrupt our way of life.
To those who believe that we will retreat from our duty to combat crime – let me assure you, you are mistaken. We shall not retreat; we shall not relent. In the fight against violence, particularly gun violence, we will be firm, we will be unyielding, and we will be relentless. We have already enacted legislation to support stricter sentencing, extending the maximum penalty for gun crimes up to ten years. Yet, when the courts hand down sentences that seem disproportionate to the gravity of the crime, it leaves us perplexed.
Despite this, we will at the next sitting of parliament enact increased penalties and tighten the conditions of bail to keep these criminal elements off of our streets. However, the judiciary in the sub-region should consider realigning the sentencing guidelines and conditions of bail for gun crimes, in keeping with the current realities of crime and violence, which is now a public health epidemic in the Caribbean.
To that end, I have instructed the attorney general, Steadroy Benjamin, to engage with the Acting chief justice to discuss this pressing issue. Our goal is to work closely with the judiciary to increase mandatory sentencing for gun crimes and ensure that justice is served swiftly and effectively.
This issue is not unique to Antigua and Barbuda. We have seen the devastation that unchecked gun violence has wrought in other parts of the Caribbean.
In Haiti, criminal gangs have terrorized the population for years, committing heinous acts with impunity. We will not allow that to happen here – not now, not ever; certainly not under my leadership.
Let me reassure our citizens and residents that gangs and those involved in gun violence will not be allowed to hold our people hostage. We will fight them – fire with fire, steel with steel until they are defeated.
I wish to state categorically, that the constitutional and human rights of the lawless must not overshadow, or take precedent over the human and civil rights of the law-abiding. No one should fear going to work, only to be robbed or killed by those who lack empathy; have no respect for the value of work, the value of legislation, or the value of life and property.
Therefore, I continue to urge the judiciary to realign their sentencing practices with regional governments’ efforts to combat crime and violence. There are currently 474 repeat offenders who are roaming our streets with impunity. A significant number of them are on bail, armed and dangerous; pursuing a full-time career of crime and violence, at the expense of our people.
If the judiciary continues to extend routine bail, short, or soft sentences on these hardened criminals, then their influence in attracting others to a life of crime and violence will expand and their numbers will continue to swell and soon exceed the aggregate numbers of law enforcement officers in our country.
I beseech the regional judiciary to act urgently in realigning the sentencing guidelines and to administer stiffer penalties, including mandatory jail time for gun crimes. Your libertarian policies to protect the constitutional and human rights of hardened criminals is now a significant impediment to effective crime fighting.
My administration has prioritized funding for law enforcement to increase their crime-fighting efficacy. As a consequence of a meeting yesterday of the National Security Council which I chaired; we have taken several significant measures, including a more coordinated approach among the various agencies to enhance law enforcement.
Several million dollars will be made available immediately to acquire additional assets, including two vessels to improve maritime surveillance of our porous maritime borders, that is proliferated with bays and quays, facilitating the smuggling of contraband including arms and ammunitions.
We will be acquiring ten additional surveillance drones to enhance law enforcement crime fighting capabilities and will be installing additional cameras on our streets, with superior technology to improve surveillance. Additionally, more vehicles are being acquired and equipped with radios to facilitate a rapid response to these incidents of crime and violence especially robberies.
We have taken further measures to enhance law enforcement, including the hiring of 140 additional officers, and the acquisition of more gun-sniffing dogs, to identify guns and ammunitions that may be entering through our air and sea ports.
The acquisition of these crime-fighting assets will be buttressed with training and the use of digital technologies, including artificial intelligence technologies. Joint police and military patrols have increased and will continue to be a key part of our strategy.
The police has also established a guns and gangs suppression unit to fight these gang members who are destabilizing our society. We will be introducing anti-gang and juvenile curfew legislation, to curb criminal behaviors involving juveniles and to protect our minors from predators.
Our gangs suppression strategy will also include counseling and anti-gang public education and awareness in our schools. Also, alternative rehabilitation programs, will be introduced in our penal institutions to reduce recidivism. Those youth who are involved in criminal activities will be housed at a juvenile detention facility, to be constructed on the defense force premises at Crabbs Peninsula.
Our cash incentive program for information leading to the confiscation of illegal firearms has already seen results, with 70 firearms recovered last year and over 40 so far this year.
My distinguished country men and country women. We have equipped our law enforcement with the tools and resources they need to take the fight to these criminals and to defeat them. The consequences of allowing these criminals to destabilize our country are too dire to contemplate.
We cannot grow our economy, or build a prosperous future for our people, in an environment riddled with crime and violence. Defeating these criminals is not just a priority – it is an absolute necessity for the continued safety and prosperity of our nation.
Let me be abundantly clear: while we have pursued a liberal immigration policy, welcoming those who contribute positively to our society, we will show no tolerance for any immigrant involved in criminal activities. They will be deported immediately upon conviction and service of their time in prison and will never return to our shores.
To every criminal, whether a national or an immigrant, I say this: you have a choice. I say to you that crime and violence will not pay and those of you who engage in crime and violence will surely pay. There are ample opportunities to earn an honest living in this country. There are employment shortages in several sectors including the construction sector.
Those who choose the path of crime and violence will do so at their own peril. These able-bodied criminals have no excuse to be perennial loiters and to prey on our people. Instead, they need to become productively engaged making meaningful contributions to nation building.
My government is committed to an “all of society” approach to breaking the cycle of lawlessness and violence. This is a challenge that demands the involvement of every citizen.
It begins with effective parenting in the home, nurturing responsible and empathetic youth, and extends to the expanded roles of the church, schools, social workers and community activists in engaging our young people positively. I call on all these stakeholders to join our government in this national effort.
Now is not the time for carping at each other; for stakeholder jabs, (jaundiced appropriation of blame) or to seek political mileage, or social media likes through libertarian, ignorant and partisan articulations. This is a time for crime-fighting solidarity involving all stakeholders; all citizens and residents.
Fighting this scourge of crime and violence requires a national response with each citizen, each resident taking full responsibility and playing his or her part in defeating these criminals. For example, our citizens and residents have an obligation to routinely share intelligence with law enforcement to assist them in apprehending these criminals.
Finally, it is within our power to defeat the criminals, as we collectively build a safer, stronger, and more prosperous Antigua and Barbuda. We must all stand in solidarity in this fight to protect lives and livelihoods.
