NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (May 29, 2024)- Residents in the Hamilton area on Nevis will be seeing increased police presence in their community as part of law enforcement’s response to a recent fatal incident.

During his monthly press conference on May 28, Premier of Nevis The Honourable Mark Brantley once again extended condolences to the Huggins family on the loss of Ms. Joelle Huggins and the serious injuries to her brother Julian as a result of a shooting incident on May 24.

He assured the residents and wider general public that measures are being implemented to arrest the recent uptick in criminal activity in Hamilton.

“The loss of Joelle, I believe, impacted all of us in a very real way. Again, my deepest condolences to the Huggins family. I’ve been in close contact with the Honourable Prime Minister [Dr. Terrance] Drew who is the Minister of National Security. I’ve also been in contact with the High Command, the Commissioner of Police Mr. [James] Sutton, and the Permanent Secretary in the Premier’s Ministry Mr. [Wakely] Daniel who normally engages on security matters, and we will be rolling out a number of new initiatives in the Hamilton area and the wider Nevis.

“We have already started with enhanced patrols, saturated patrols in Hamilton. We will also be engaging in some other efforts in order to bring greater comfort to the residents there,” he said.

On the heels of the tragic incident Premier Brantley had visited the family and the hospitalized victim to convey his sympathies in person. He said the gun-play which took the life of a hardworking young woman who spent most of her time focused on raising her young son is particularly traumatic to the entire Nevisian society.

He made an urgent plea for persons with information pertaining to the fatal incident and any other criminal activity to report it to the police.

“I am calling on all of the residents of Hamilton as I continue to call on all the residents here on Nevis and the wider Federation to assist our police to bring these perpetrators to justice and to allow all of us to enjoy the peace dividend so that we can live in peace, we can function in peace.

“I’m aware that crime is a social problem. Crime emanates from us. It is our children, it is our relatives, it is our loved ones who are engaged in criminal activity and we as a law-abiding community must decide what we want for ourselves because nobody can commit crime and it goes undetected, somebody always knows what’s happening. There are parents out there, girlfriends, friends, who are hiding contraband, who are hiding firearms, who are protecting these criminals. I want you to know that you are enabling the destruction of our country.”

The police have reported that the Hamilton community has been the only area marred by violence in Nevis for the year thus far, and Premier Brantley remains hopeful that there are no additional cases of violence in that area.

Premier Brantley reminded citizens and residents of the importance of maintaining peace and security on the island, saying there can be no meaningful and sustainable development, and no Sustainable Island State “unless we can guarantee the safety and security of our people.”