Contact:
Prime Minister's Press Secretary
Monday, October 16, 2006 - The Government of Saint Lucia will later this
month host a major National Symposium on Crime.
According to Prime Minister Dr Kenny D. Anthony, the symposium “is aimed at
developing a comprehensive strategic response to the prevention and abatement of
crime and it will bring together various institutions and agencies involved in
the national crime fight.”
The Prime Minister, who announced the Government’s initiative in this regard
just recently, says the symposium will take place on October 21 at the NIC
Conference Centre on the Waterfront in Castries and will seek to involve a wide
cross-section of participation.
According to Dr Anthony, “It will not only address the concerns of the citizenry
about crime, but the symposium will also seek to engage stakeholders in
discussion and review of strategies and their implementation at all levels of
the community.”
To this end, government officials like the Prime Minister, the Minister of Home
Affairs and Internal Security and the Heads of the various Security Services
will be invited to participate in the symposium, but significant inputs will
also be made to reflect the perspectives of the General Public and the Private
Sector.
Minister of Home Affairs and Internal Security Senator Calixte George says
special background papers for the symposium are being prepared by the Executive
Director of the National Crime Commission, Mr. Linwall James, as well as by
Sharon Trezelle, a sociologist at the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College.
Perspectives on the Crime Situation in Saint Lucia will be provided by
representatives of the Chamber of Commerce and the Saint Lucia Hotel and Tourism
Association (SLHTA), while Perspectives of the Citizenry will also be provided
by an ordinary citizen.
The need for Developing a Tourism Security Strategy for the industry will be
addressed by Lt. Col. Bruce Barclay, Chairman of the Port Security Corporation
of Jamaica, while Saint Lucian consultant, Cletus Springer, will lead
participants in identifying, outlining and recommending future policies on crime
prevention and abatement.
Preparations for the symposium are being coordinated by the Ministry of Home
Affairs and Internal Security.
