When a bus load of commuters left Vieux Fort en-route to Castries on Saturday evening, they had no idea of the terror that awaited them on what was supposed to be a routine trip.Twenty minutes into their journey their bus would come to a screeching halt at a Micoud gas station, riddled with bullets. Screaming passengers would emerge, their clothes splattered with blood. Three passengers had been shot; one would later succumb to his injuries.

Whether we like it or not, crime is an election issue. But to say that the government is having a national crime symposium only because elections are coming up carries little weight. They’ll deny it and predictably the United Workers Party like they did early this week will accuse them of perfectly timing the conference.