By Val Matthias. Updated 7:05 a.m., Friday, February 13, 2026, Atlantic Standard Time (GMT-4).
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, St. Clair Leacock, has declared that his own life is at risk as he leads the fight against rising gang violence and mounting national debt in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Speaking in Parliament, Leacock offered condolences to families of murder victims but stressed that sympathy alone cannot dismantle gangs or stop bullets. “Condolences do not stop bullets and tears do not dismantle gangs,” he told the House, warning that criminal networks now pose a direct threat to national stability.
Leacock revealed that police high command has confirmed the existence of five to six active gangs operating across the country, with firearms fuelling much of the violence. “There are too many firearms in the hands of the wrong people,” he said, pledging a review of firearm licensing and a crackdown on illegal weapons.
The Minister underscored the personal risk he faces in tackling crime. “You see this job? I realise that my life is on the line. But the criminals in this country will not be allowed to own any square inch of St. Vincent and the Grenadines under this regime.”
Leacock linked the security crisis to the nation’s financial inheritance, citing a debt burden of EC$3.5 billion. He argued that debt servicing drains resources needed for policing, Coast Guard operations, and prison upgrades.
“Every dollar paying interest to foreign creditors is a dollar I cannot use to repair the Coast Guard radar or train a detective,” he said.
Statistics presented to Parliament showed 188 homicides over the past four years, with 54 murders recorded in 2024 and 40 in 2025. External assessments have placed St. Vincent among the most violent countries in the Western Hemisphere, with more than 60% of killings gun related.
Leacock outlined a 2026 security budget of EC$94 million, including 42 new police positions, structural repairs to nine police stations, and fleet expansion. He emphasised that investment in security is not consumption but protection of economic growth.
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