By: Gavincia Clarke
Nevispages.com
(CHARLESTOWN, NEVIS)- Residents of this 36 square mile island of Nevis are crying out for the recent upsurge in violence to cease with immediate effect. This is as crime seems to be spiraling out of control over the past few months.
Nevis has now recorded its fifth murder for the year 2013; four of which are suspected to be gang related.
It is the view of persons in the society that there seems to be no end in sight for this crime wave. The general feeling is that when one person is killed, shortly thereafter there will be a retaliatory killing. As a result Nevisians are demanding the help from those in authority to step forward and help reduce the crime rate in Nevis.
The first murder for the year occurred New Year’s morning, January 01, 2013, sometime after 5:00 a.m. at Pinney’s Beach. The victim was 22 year old Alex ‘Indo’ Claxton of Bath Village. He was shot multiple times to his body. He was rushed to the Alexandra Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
In the same month, January 26, 2013 sometime after 10:00 a.m. Rudolph ‘Smokey’ Browne of Rawlins Pasture was gunned down while working at Monkey Rock in Gingerland.
Four months later Nevis recorded its third murder. This murder was that of 29 year old Kishmoy Challenger. He too was gunned down on his job site at Cliff Dwellers on the morning of Tuesday, May 14 sometime after 8:00 a.m. Kishmoy was rushed to the hospital where he succumbed to his injuries about nine hours after his attack. The assailants used his vehicle to make an escape from the scene. The vehicle is presently still missing.
The fourth murder was that of a young female who attended the Nevis Sixth Form College. The victim was later identified as 18 year old Chazere Davis of Taylor’s Pasture. An autopsy has confirmed that she was strangled to death at her home on the evening Monday, May 20, 2013. Her alleged attacker was later found by police at his residence in a semi-conscious state with what appeared to be self-inflicted wounds to his body.
Hours after the death of Chazere, Nevis recorded its fifth murder. Dead was 21 year old Jamal ‘Jim’ Isles of Fountain Village. Jamal was gunned down in his bedroom in the early morning hours of Tuesday, May 21, 2013. Nevispages was reliable informed that four gunmen dressed in black clothing came to the residence of Jamal. The assailants knocked on the door and identified themselves as police. The grandmother of the deceased responded by knocking on Jamal’s bedroom door and informing him that police was outside. At this time the assailants kicked the front door in and as Jamal opened his bedroom door two of them opened fire on him while the other two remained outside. Reports indicate that he was shot five times about the body.
As morning broke, the society expressed sadness for what is described as heartbreaking and unfortunate, the death of three young people between the period of May 14 and 21, 2013.
On Tuesday, May 23, 2013, Premier of Nevis, Hon. Vance Amory along with his cabinet, met with Commissioner of the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force, Mr. Celvin Walwyn and the Head of the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force – Nevis Division, Superintendent Hilroy Brandy to discuss ways to eradicate crime on the island of Nevis.
The Commissioner stated that business as usual is now over in Nevis and the introduction of ‘zero tolerance’ will be implemented with immediate effect. He stated that there will be officers from both islands patrolling the streets of Nevis.
Meanwhile Premier, Vance Amory, Minister of Security in the Nevis Island Administration pleaded to persons who may have knowledge of any crimes committed on the island that would lead to their solution, to contact the Police. He reassured the public that the NIA would do all in its power to stem the sudden surge in crime on the island.
In explaining the zero tolerance approach, Deputy Premier, Hon. Mark Brantley stated, “Whether it is that you are speeding, littering, loitering, your tint is too dark, whatever infringement there may be of the law, we are saying to the police, crack down on everything.”
Brantley indicated that no one will be spared “whether it is the Premier or the chap on the road who is cleaning the drain. Crack down on everything and on everybody.”