President of the Dominica Association of Industry and Commerce (DAIC), Jeffrey Baptiste has said an increase in crime on the island could affect foreign investments.
Speaking at an event organized by Crime Stoppers Dominica on Wednesday, he said Dominica is a developing country and its ability to sustain and maintain foreign direct investments is critical to its sustenance of the economy.
“It is natural that an investor wishing to invest his resources in any jurisdiction will exam the rate of crime in that jurisdiction and will examine the society’s response to crime in that jurisdiction,” he stated.
He believes that crime is a societal issue and certainly it requires a societal response and a unified response.
According to Baptiste, crime is not a “big business issue”, nor a “small business issue.”
“It is not a business community issue, it is a Dominica issue and how we respond will impact all of us within Dominica,” he noted.
Meantime Director of Public Relations for the Dominica Hotel and Tourism Association (DHTA), Dr. Schuyler Esprit said citizens have a responsibility to play their part in crime prevention in the country.
“In Dominica we have a peculiar challenge to fight crime against our own citizens, against visitors to Dominica, against residents who are foreigners living in Dominica, and we have a unique responsibility for every single Dominican to participate in helping authorities and doing their own part every day for crime prevention,” she said. “We think it is very important for us to launch a national effort against some of the conditions that present challenges to us in our economic development.”
The problem is the pointing fingers and allocating blame for crimes in Dominica. Every citizen has crime prevention ability but does not care until they are a victim, the solution is to convince everyone that they are responsible to take action to fight crime because it puts our safety at risk. If you see or hear anything say something do something.
tell the boss to reopen the police station in the extreme north and take the American administration advice to build the coast guard station in Portsmouth if not give back the 2 million us dollar, the high tec boat has been there waiting to float
that how we can fight crime.
“President of the Dominica Association of Industry and Commerce (DAIC), Jeffrey Baptiste has said an increase in crime on the island could affect foreign investments….”
ALSO sir, it should say, or you should equally say…”President of the Dominica Association of Industry and Commerce (DAIC), Jeffrey Baptiste has said an increase in inept political crime, bobol, massive corruption, lack of accountability and transparency, passport scandal on the island could affect foreign investments…”
This is where we are now, failed investments, lack of security and trust and therefore I as an investor do not trust this DLP government with their political crimes. This PM and DLP government is the biggest impediment and obstacle to failed investment in Dominica.
The companies in Dominica must stand out and speak and not only blame the poor people who engage crime. They are poor, hungry, no jobs, no bananas etc.
The sentiments expressed are so true,and my hope is that the citizenry will continue to play their role in assisting in keeping Dominica a low crime country,like it used to be.However when you have a Prime Minister who says that no constitution can keep him from breaking the law,what signal does that send to those on the fringe?Mr Skerritt continues to run the affairs of state like Dominica is his private estate,with no regard for norms of good governance. The criminals in our midst become emboldened. He never stops to think that his gangster style of leadership is sending out the wrong message.When people think that they can do whatever they want,irrespective of the traditions of democratic government a breakdown of law and order follows.
Then there is Mr Blackmoore, minister of national security, who shows he can’t do the work required.To further compound matters the chief of police is incompetent and can’t keep criminals on the defensive.Can it get any worse.
A small place as D/ca, when there is news of increased crimes and the types of crimes, how many will be eager to visit or live there.
I am still baffled at what has occurred in D/ca that there are so many crimes/murders and some lawless and ruthless people. This was not the case in bygone years. It gets me angry to as much as think of that.
Visitors are being mugged. Their chain rooted out of their necks. What if their necks break while the rascal is pulling their chain from it?
Recall the Irish man who was murdered. Now the Brazilian lady. It puts D/ca to shame and gives it a bad name. It also affects national residents.
The Law must also let the punishment fit the crime. No bail for murderers, rapists, drug dealers/pushers and thieves who steal a certain amount of money.
Fervent, sincere prayers are needed to eradicate crimes/murders from D/ca.
Some will say it is not the only island. I state, let every government take care of its country.
Skerrit you need to arm the police.they to carry guns on tuck into thier hip.
Gee, do you think that Dominica, whose only economic hope is tourism, might suffer from being known as a crime-ridden, polluted dump? Brilliant!
Stop blaming crime for all downfall the country have. Crime is not the problem. His majesty Rosevelt Skeritt and his herd of sheep is the only obstacle in the way of development that needs to be gotten rid of. You all want to solve a problem but you all looking at the wrong remedy. In past times when they were less crimes, nobody still didn’t want to come here and invest so what is your point? Instead of blaming himself, Skeritt blaming Erika and a world recession that happen way back in 2007/2008 for everything. So long recession finish everywhere else. Dominica alone that still under eternal recession. Now because it have a few people misbehaving themselves in the place, all you finding the best thing to do is blame them for lack of foreign investment? Dominica is still very peaceful compared to other countries. So much crime everywhere else have and they doing better than us. This article properly illustrates that is a bunch of ill-equipped garbage we have handling the country.
We would do well to keep Dominica a safe, secured and friendly place.Not only for Dominicans but also for the visitors.It’s a fact that we have no international airport,no white sandy beaches,no 200 bedroom hotels with casinos.(not that I am for the latter).Before a foreigner comes to Dominica and invest his hard earned cash,(I am not talking about selling our passports to raise the money) naturally he or she will want to know the crime rate.
Crime does not pay.When we get involved in criminal activities we only hurt ourselves,our fellow citizens and give Dominica a bad name, also making it difficult to attract investors to our shores. Let us remember the song.
Only a fool hurts his own heart.
Sparrow sang this song. A nice one too.
I do not understand how crime is going to affect what we never experience. Dominica is not a place that foreign investors are interesting in. Let us review dating back to the days of the coalition government of which they claim was the labor party in power to this day; over a more than twenty years span, nothing happened, not one investor came except some so called; call center, why all of a sudden crime is going to be a prevention?
Anything you all can use as an excuse for the lack of prosperity, and opportunity in the country, as soon as one gets the opportunity of that fifteen minuets of fame on DNO, or in front of any camera the useless excuses surfaces.
The question is what type of investments, I suppose any thing comes to mind a local citizen might want to get involved in it, by so doing that might attract outsiders, Foreign investors are careful not to invest money into a country, which lack signs of progress. Build an International Airport, and watch the difference!
Yes in deed ,the high rate of crime in dominica is more than affecting foreign investors but not only that foreigner who wants to invest in dominica do not agree to pay such a high cost for citizenship…the majority people who are in favour are running because they have something to hide..there are many people who are encouraging vice because they are jobless,what ever they can buy or get at a very low cost regardless of where it comes from do not care ,nonetheless only the hungry man knows what it is to be hungry and poor.to curb crime the gov’t must create jobs ,then crimes will be decreased but will never stop.Change the laws to suit the crimes ,e.g to many murderers get too many short term imprisonment or walk out freely to walk back the streets.Here is a job that the gov’t can create for e.g postman,health inspectors,careers…the island is in need of jobs ,dominica is reversing while politicians are picking on each other ..We need a change before dominica fall rock bottom…