Premier of Nevis Hon. Joseph Parry (l) consults with his Deputy Hon. Hensley Daniel at the Nevis Island Assembly

Premier of Nevis, the Hon. Joseph Parry, assured Nevisians that crime on the island was not out of control but appealed for calm. During a sitting of the Nevis Island Assembly on July 08, 2008, he said the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) was doing everything within its means, to ensure that the recent upsurge in gun related criminal activity on Nevis continued to be properly monitored.

"I have had regular discussions with the police and they have assured me that they are working very closely with the police in St. Kitts, in terms of monitoring movements between St. Kitts and Nevis. Efforts are also being made to increase the number of persons on the Force [Police] in Nevis and for Culturama [festival], special arrangements have been made...

"I am convinced that the activities of crime is not out of control or exceedingly high, but there has been a change and we must seek to arrest it and do something about it and this is what this government is doing," he said.

Mr. Parry noted that he would like young people to leave guns alone and report to the police immediately if they saw unlicensed persons handling guns.

"Over the years there have been at least two deaths of innocent bystanders because persons who could not use guns properly and should not have guns have fired after persons who they did not intend to hurt. We are not advocating for any one to be killed, but we must settle our disputes by other ways, not with guns," Mr. Parry said.

He also made an appeal for the people of all the communities on Nevis to be their brother's keeper and they should make available any information on suspicious activities available to the Police.

Mr. Parry underscored the importance of Tourism to Nevis and called on the youths abstain from crime.

"Nevis depends on Tourism for its livelihood and this is not the time for us to surrender to criminal forces that seem to be sweeping the Caribbean. I appeal to young people especially, there is enough work for all and there is no need for them to take what does not belong to them. They need to stay out of people's shops and homes and refrain from criminal activities," he said.

Premier Parry called on the churches, parents and leaders in the community to talk to young people and discourage them from acts of crime.

Since Premier Parry's Nevis Reformation Party-led Nevis Island Administration took control of government in July, 2006, Premier Parry and Deputy Premier, the Hon. Hensley Daniel, have addressed the matter of crime on both the electronic and print media.

They have also tackled the issue through the introduction of a number of initiatives to assist young people among them the Homework Assistance Programme, formal training skills training for young persons in Trinidad and sponsored classes for the provision of skills in computer literacy.