National Guard On “Active Duty” For St. Thomas Carnival, Police Have “Good Sense” Where Guns Come Into Territory

ST. CROIX — Governor Kenneth believes St. Thomas carnival will be safe, and has encouraged residents to come out and enjoy the festivities. However, if things were to get out of hand, the governor has signed an order that places the Virgin Islands National Guard on active duty so they could respond swiftly if necessary.

“I’ve already signed an order putting the National Guard on active duty, and to the effect that we need to be able to call on them and deploy them, that part is already in place and the police commissioner, in consultation with the Lieutenant Governor and I, will make that call, and if that’s necessary, then they are prepared to do what they need to do,” the governor said.

“They are an additional resource to this process,” he added.

The news was made known at a press conference held at Government House in Christiansted on Monday, where Mapp unveiled a joint effort between local and federal law enforcement agencies that would, overtime, see the territory becoming a much safer place for residents and visitors alike.

At the press event, the governor was flanked by leaders of law enforcement in the territory, including Police Commissioner designee Delroy Richards and U.S. Attorney Ronald W. Sharpe. There, the men also spoke about the issue of guns and how the enter the Virgin Islands, with the governor telling VI Consortium that law enforcement now has a “good sense” of how the weapons enter the islands.

Mapp would not, however, divulge details on how they enter so as to not stymie any efforts already underway by federal and local law enforcement. And while these actions should disrupt most efforts to smuggle illegal firearms into the territory, Mapp admitted that there’s much work to be done in the fight against unlicensed guns.

“We’re not going to plug every hole,” said the territory’s leader, speaking on the issue of guns that make their way here. “But we have a good sense where the vast majority of them come through,  and we’re going to start dealing with them.”

He added: “And this is when we talk about some of the border protection, travel between the islands and those types of issues — and I’m not saying to you this morning  that every single availability to bring a firearm in this territory will be plugged this week, that’s not a realistic statement. But we are making an effort for folks who would normally bring guns this week, during carnival activity, and we know how they bring them in, that we’re making the biggest effort to stop them there, or identify them.”