We see it every day. We cannot allow a few bad people to spoil our name,” said Crime Prevention Minister, Jeremiah Norbert during a local talk show on Wednesday night.

The Minister believes most Saint Lucians are law-abiding citizens. Referencing the recent triumphs of sprint-star, Julien Alfred, Norbert says Saint Lucians are capable of amazing feats.

However, he observes that continued government support should be done to ensure crime is not made to thrive. He says the access and affordability of illegal firearms have made it cheap to commit crimes.

“It’s become cheap to commit crime. Crime has become affordable if you want to put it that way. We should never create a society where crime has become affordable, where you can just put your pocket money aside for crime,” he notes.

He says all stakeholders must accept and fulfil their responsibilities in crime prevention.

“You’ve seen what [the government has] done by providing resources to the police - giving them vehicles and the necessary training that they need. That is the responsibility of the government. The police have the responsibility to make maximum use of what they have. The community, too, has a responsibility. They have to play their part, in terms of families, and faith-based organisations - it has to be a holistic approach,” he says.

Gang influence has infiltrated schools, he says, adding that the access to guns has empowered criminals to be bold.

“We have long-term and immediate solutions. We have to ensure that crime does not persist over the long term. We also need immediate solutions. We cannot continue to live in a society where individuals continue to appear so brazen to commit crimes. It’s in our schools and we hear about Six and Seven and this shows the extent of it.”

The Minister says he will be meeting with all stakeholders to discuss crime prevention strategies.