Conflict Resolution

Following the murder of 24 year old Donovan Joseph of Ciceron and what now appears to be the murder of Beverly Mangal of Monchy, last week, police have expressed much concern about the manner in which persons on the island deal with their disagreements.
Vernon Francois Assistant Commissioner of Police, said that situations where people have the propensity to resort to violence to solve conflicts are very disquieting, particularly at this time when police are making tremendous effort to educate the public about conflict resolution.
Many ask what conflict resolution is.
Conflict resolution is the process of attempting to resolve a dispute or a conflict.
Eight significant steps for Conflict Resolution are:

1. “Know Thyself” and Take Care of Self
2. Clarify Personal Needs Threatened by the Dispute
3. Identify a Safe Place for Negotiation
4. Take a Listening Stance into the Interaction
5. Assert Your Needs Clearly and Specifically
6. Approach Problem-Solving with Flexibility
7. Manage Impasse with Calm, Patience, and Respect
8. Build an Agreement that Works
Law enforcement officials are calling on St Lucians to stop settling their disagreements by wielding knives, machetes, guns and other weapons of destruction.
It is high time; people learn to agree to disagree and to do so without being violent.

(R.M.)