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HomeNewsArchivesENLIST PEACE OFFICERS TO FIGHT CRIME, LIBURD SAYS

ENLIST PEACE OFFICERS TO FIGHT CRIME, LIBURD SAYS

Sept. 6, 2001 – Sen. President Almando "Rocky" Liburd expressed shock Thursday at the crime that has taken place in the territory recently and called for mobilizing more V.I. government peace officers to join in fighting against it.
"I suggested at a meeting last month that we should get the police to train all the peace officers to work together to beef up the police presence on the streets," Liburd said. "We need to train the IRB [Internal Revenue Bureau], the Territorial Court marshals, the Finance and Licensing and Consumer Affairs officers. There is a need for more police presence on the streets, and we just don't have the money for outside help."
Liburd also had commented on recent crime at an August meeting of the Police Benevolent Association at the Palms Court Harborview Hotel on St. Thomas. "We see so many law-enforcement officers are being victimized by criminals," he said in that address. "It's a sign that a fundamental change has take place within the criminal street element. The thugs have begun to challenge law enforcement for control of our streets."
On Thursday, he said, "We simply cannot allow this to happen."
Liburd, a former auxiliary policeman, said the community has a role to play, too, in helping the police do their job. "We need people to come forward to help," he said. "I just can't tell you how important that is."
He called for all citizens to take an active role in combating crime by calling police with any information they might have. "You never know," he said. "Even the smallest piece of information could be very important. The very life of our community is at stake."
The recent spate of crime, especially that directed against police and peace officers, led Gov. Charles W. Turnbull to vow on Aug. 31 that his administration was "going to come up with a grand strategy … to beat the criminals." For details of that pledge and of recent instances of such crime, see "'Grand stategy' against crime planned".

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