BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, November 11, 2021 (Press Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister) – Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris, has stated emphatically that his administration will continue to give law enforcement the necessary support required to properly arrest crime and violence, as well as other illicit activities in the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis.
Prime Minister Harris was at the time lending support to the Vehicles and Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill, 2021, during the November 10 Sitting of the National Assembly.
The amendments, which were unanimously passed, states that “Every motor vehicle, other than a motorcycle or agricultural tractor, shall be fitted with a windscreen that provides ample protection to the driver of the motor vehicle and the windscreen shall (a) be kept in such condition as to allow an unobstructed view of the road at the front of the vehicle; and (b) not be tinted more than ten inches from the top of the windscreen for the purpose of providing protection as a sun visor and that tinting shall be in accordance with the provisions of subsection (6).”.
The prime minister said, “It is an important Bill, it is a necessary Bill and I believe it is quite timely. And as the Attorney General has said, this request [for the amendments to the Bill] has come from the law enforcement agencies and we need to give them their support. I have always said in relation to matters of law and order, everything is on the table and we shall not take any off, so the adjustments to the Bill are welcomed.”
Speaking on the significance of these amendments, Prime Minister Harris noted that evidence has shown that many of the gun related incidents in St. Kitts and Nevis over the years have involved the use of heavily tinted vehicles.
“It is the lived reality of the people of St. Kitts and Nevis that we are addressing here – the need for improved safety and the need to ensure that not even one incident would occur,” said the prime minister, who also serves as Minister responsible for National Security.
The Honourable Prime Minister said while the Federation has since recorded greater successes in the reduction of gun-related activities, “None of that improvement undermines the need for us to be able to bring the legislation now and prevent us from getting back there.”
Dr. Harris further noted that the Vehicles and Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill, 2021, is not only important but it is also timely “because we continue to have traffic accidents and deaths, it is timely because we are getting into the busy period of the year leading up to Christmas and Carnival activities, and there is no time like now.”