Vernon FrancoisThe month ended with the senseless murder of four persons making it the most violent month in the history of the country. To date 22 homicides have been recorded for the year, plus several victims of gun shot wounds recovering at Victoria Hospital.
This has prompted the St. Lucia Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture, to request an urgent meeting with Prime Minister Stevenson King and the Minister of National Security, Guy Mayers, when a high level of deligation from the private sector would take the concern and recommendations of the sector to the government.
During the meeting with the Government, the SLP proposed that the Prime Minister urgently consider it's ten proposal for curbing crime in St. Lucia. The recommendations included enhancing the capacity of the Police Force and the National Security apparatus as well as social intervention like outreach programmes and job creation. The SLP believes that after almost four years in office, the UWP Administration has no plan for the crime situation which they had all the answer for before thay were elected. They accused the UWP of promising to reduce the level of crime in the society and restore the feeling of peace, security and safety in the community. But since they took over there has been a steady increase in public unrest. Last year, the country registered a record 40 homicided. The UWP countered by pointing their finger at the previous SLP Adminiatration's track record on crime.
The SLP vehemently defended it's record claiming the incumbent UWP which staked it's election campaign on the issue failed to follow through on many policies and programs started under the its stewardship. SLP's first-deputy Leader Philip J. Pierre said the programs were a work in progress and the country would have been ahead of the curve had the UWP completed the task. Formet national Security Minister - Calixte George - who also addressed the media during the meeting said that the police force has regressed under the current regime. He said that the SLP increased wages, provided technical advisors, vehicles, equipment, police stations, and accelerated recruitment to offset the impact of a high attrition rate. He admonished the Government for not persueing investments in modern technological advancement like finger printing service and a forensic lab.
The government Pierre said, is too interested in things political and not interested in governing the country. "The Prime Minister and his National Security Minister has failed to build on the structure put in place by the previous SLP Administration or even to replace them with their own plans and programmes. Crime is getting out of control because after four years, Mr. King and his Government have done little to attempt to stop the slide."
Pierre called on the PM to urgently request the Commissioner of Police to provide an assessment of the state of readiness of the police to deal with the situation in the context of the current crime wave and the state of police morale in the circumstances.
Public sentiment is that the police has had a bad relationship with the citizens who feel that the police are still using the same failed methods of attacking crime. The citizens refuse to talk to the police because they of the opinion that the majority of police officers are corrupt and to talk with them could mean retaliation from the drug lords and gang mamber. They feel that just like them the policemen live in the community. They know all the thieves, drug dealers, drug pushers, murderers, gang and gang members living in the community, so how come they are not reporting crime to police like themselves.
Vernon Francois, the assistant commissioner responsible for crime said that "the main problem we need to overcome in this country is fear. The very people who criticize the police for doing nothing are the same ones with the information and they refuse to go on record with it. For some time now St. Lucians are always quick to criticize the police when the police engage in certain offensives. thye should not be bemoaning the offensive undertaken by the police tody in stepping up their aggression towards crime"
The citizens of the country have no confidence in the way the country's top lawmen are approching the fighting against the crime wave. In a National Poll conducted in April, 80 percent of the people who took part agreed that the Minister of National Security and the Commissioner of Police should be resign.
News Break
Police Commissioner removed from Post
In a national address Sunday evening ( May 30), Prime Minister Stevenson King announced that Police Commissioner Ausbert Regis would be removed from hid present post and be re-assigned to the Prime Minister's office as the Minister and Director of Special Initiatives. His replacement was his deputy Vernon Francois, who is now the acting Police Commissioner of Police.
At a news conference where he was intoduced, Francois vowed to clean up the police force of corrupt officers. He also questioned the effectiveness of the police complaints unit and advocate for an independent body to be set up to investigate police officers. He promise that his new police team will take crime head on and calls for the help of public.
"Criminals need to made to feel in uncomfortable in St. Lucia," he said.
Francois has been given six months to produce results. Many believe that replacing the Police Commissioner with his deputy who was part of the senior management team, and responsible for crime, is not exactly progress. There are questions as to what new initiative that Francois could bring to the table that he couldn't have done before. Surely, the majority feel that the problem lies in the fact that for three years plus, Guy Mayers, the Minister of National Security, who is responsible for policing is incompetent and totally out of his depth. He has failed to show any leadership or direction to the police.
Meanwhile, it is reported that Regis may seek legal action against the government for his transfer. He has directed all press inquiries to his attorney. -LTD
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