STATEMENT ON THE ROBBERY OF CYNTHIA THWAITES AND SHOOTING OF VERE ‘PELE’ JOSEPH IN LIBERTA VILLAGE

I condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the cowardly robbery of Cynthia Thwaites and the shooting of Vere ‘Pele’ Joseph in Liberta Village last night. As Member of Parliament for the St. Paul’s constituency and on behalf of every resident of this community, I express profound shock and outrage at this brazen attack on our people.

Let me be unequivocal: crime has arrived at our doorstep and it will not be tolerated. The growing scourge of criminality now threatens the very peace, safety and security of our community and it demands an immediate, unified and uncompromising response from every one of us.

I have taken the following action:

· Written formally to the Commissioner of Police requesting sustained police patrols in support of our business community, which has become the primary target of these criminals.

I now call on every resident to act:

· Scale up your vigilance. Install security cameras. Join or form community watches. Report ALL suspicious activity to law enforcement without delay.

· Do not remain silent. Silence emboldens criminals. Cooperation defeats them.

I am summoning the community to action:

A Town Hall Meeting will be held on Thursday, 8th October at the Liberta Primary School, commencing at 7:30 pm. This is not optional, this is essential. Every resident, every business owner, every family must be represented. We will confront this crisis together.

I am presently travelling on national assignment at the United Nations General Assembly but my commitment to the safety of this constituency remains absolute and unwavering.

In the interim, we will continue to:

· Clear overgrowth

· Demolish abandoned and derelict buildings (with owners’ permission)

· Improve lighting across the community

I implore every man, woman and child in this community to work together, resolutely and without fear, to blunt and reverse this emerging problem of crime and violence.

We will not be intimidated. We will not retreat. We will reclaim our community.

LibertaStrong #StPaulsUnited #StopTheViolence #CommunityAction #AntiguaAndBarbuda

This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: St. Paul’s MP Condemns Liberta Robbery and Shooting, Calls for Community Action.