Moved by a scourge of violent crime, which has been plaguing the Anguillian community for some time, representatives of churches throughout the island and Government, met on Wednesday, June 24, to commit to an anti-violence strategy. The meeting was convened at the main conference room at La Vue Boutique Hotel.
During the meeting the attendees were taken back by a 2007-2015 analysis report by Commissioner of Police, Mr. Rudolph Proctor, which showed that gun-related violent crime had drastically increased over the years.
The Church Leaders’ Summit on Crime and Violence in Anguilla, as the meeting was called, was organised by the Ministry of Social Development in collaboration with PAVE (Partners Advocating for Violence Eradication), the Department of Youth and Culture and the Royal Anguilla Police Force.
The tone of the event was set by Mrs. Hyacinth Bradley, Community Services Planner in the Ministry of Social Development. “We are all affected by the ills of crime and violence in one way or another,” she stated. “We are further aware that this culture of crime and violence is permeating our island. We see families being torn by violence, our communities destroyed by violence; our social fabric is being torn apart. We fear that our families and our society are growing numb to human loss and suffering. It is for this reason, and more, that the PAVE Committee has decided to launch national strategies to address crime and violence.
The strategies focus on four key areas: prevention, intervention, interception and rehabilitation. We are doing all we can to develop community-wide strategies to make our neighbourhoods more safe and peaceful.”
Mrs. Bradley continued: “We see the church as a significant community player in responding to these challenges. We believe that churches have much at stake and, indeed, much to contribute – thus the focus of day’s summit. Your being here is an indication of your ongoing commitment in the fight against crime and violence eradication.” She hoped that at the end of the summit the church leaders, and others, would agree to sign a declaration of their commitment to the cause.
Minister of Social Development, Mr. Evans McNiel Rogers, joined in expressing dismay over the island’s growing crime rate and endorsed the anti-violence strategy on behalf of the Government of Anguilla.
“Crime, and in particular gun-related crime, has rocked the core of our country time after time and has left us fearful, ashamed and confused,” he said in his address. “We yearn for the Anguilla of old in which we lived peaceably with each other. We were our brother’s keeper and our homes were sanctuaries not targets from invasion.
“However, today the scourge of violence is affecting our daily lives. The things we used to do without thinking of safety issues, we don’t do anymore. Communities are severely divided and some youngsters do not travel to different parts of the island for fear that their lives may be cut short. As the violent crimes mount, so does the division, tension and the unrest which breeds even more violence in what seems to be a never-ending cycle. Anguilla’s reputation as ‘tranquillity wrapped in blue’ is being tarnished in the international arena. Our public health and criminal justice systems are under strain from the incidents of violence.”
The Minister made the point that from his observation, in many ways Anguilla has a spiritual problem. “Our people have turned away from that spiritual foundation that was so dear to us and which provided that moral grounding for our children. It is also a familial problem, resulting from the breakdown of family structures and the absence of the extended family as a support mechanism for raising wholesome children. It is a social problem in that communities no longer raise children, rather children raise themselves and social groups and institutions which can pick up the slack are insufficient or non-existent.”
According to the Minister of Social Development, the Anguilla Government’s primary responsibility “is to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all citizens, residents and visitors.” He continued: “Our Government is committed one hundred percent to fulfilling this responsibility. This is not a simple or easy task and requires a multi-faceted approach.
We therefore fully endorse the anti-violence strategy which will be shared with you later this morning because we believe it encapsulates the range of approaches necessary to rid us of this scourge.”
Mr. Rogers commended PAVE for organising the day-long retreat, otherwise called a summit, and in particular Mrs. Hyacinth Bradley, the new Community Services Planner who made the arrangements. He added that the full support and involvement of the church was critical in order to successfully combat the problem of crime and violence.
The PAVE participating partners are the Departments of Youth and Culture, Sports, Education, Probation, Labour and Social Development, the Royal Anguilla Police Force, the Anguilla Bar Association, Anguilla National Youth Council, Anguilla Christian Council, Anguilla Evangelical Association, Anguilla Red Cross, Anguilla Hotel and Tourism Association and the Peace Drive Group.
