Dr. Denzil Douglas who heads the unit said the main focus of his government has been to put a new arrangement in place to give a strong focus and signal to the criminals that they will not continue to do what they have been doing in the past. “We shall ensure that this government makes changes accordingly so that our strong position in fighting against crime is executed,” stated the Prime Minister.
He said the Anti-Crime Unit will see four members of the Cabinet directly involved in the management of the fight against crime.
“That is the way it is. That is how my Cabinet wishes it to be at this time as we fight crime. We are taking it from the responsibility of one minister to four ministers as a team approach and we have created in the Office of the Prime Minister, the necessary unit – the Anti-Crime Unit and it is going to be managed jointly with four ministers of government with me as the Chairman as the Task Force and to ensure that we can be effective in our fighting of crime,” Dr. Douglas reiterated.
Speaking last Tuesday, (6th September, 2011), on his weekly radio program, “Ask the Prime Minister”, Douglas told listeners, in response to a caller’s question, “As the Deputy Prime Minister himself said yesterday, that he was consulted. He was involved with me personally in hours of discussion and at the Cabinet, it was discussed at length.”
“Last week I meet the Deputy Prime Minister again on Wednesday to discuss this matter; we had ample dialogue and discussion and that is why I say it is so unfortunate that we have to appear in public to be disagreeing over a matter. Yes we had some differences of opinion as to how it should be done and I don’t see why this have to spill over into the public domain but as I said before, I am the Prime Minister and so the buck stops with me and so that’s where it is. I am going to accept the blame because I am the Prime Minister so I have to accept the blame and I am expected to take whatever blame. That’s the way it is. My back has to be broad and in this case I will allow my broad back to take all there is,” said Dr. Douglas.
“There are some people who do not like this new development and are using what has happened to further cause mischief and distraction, as the caller said,” responded Prime Minister Douglas.
“It will continue to involve the Deputy Prime Minister, Sam Condor, who was recently the Minister of National Security; the Attorney General, the Patrice Nisbett; it will also involve Dr. Earl Asim Martin, the Minister of Public Utilities and Public Works, who has acted whether for Dwyer Astaphan or for myself when we were Ministers of National Security,” said Douglas.