04th Feburary 2010
Crime Strategy Unveiled
M. G. George

In a move to show that each is working in sync with the other to fight the scourge of crime in the country, the Government of Prime Minister Stephenson King and the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force, headed by Commissioner Ausbert Regis this week jointly announced short term strategies they have agreed with to combat rising criminal activities on the island.
From removing the dead end at upper Grass Street making that street a thoroughfare that will lead straight into Leslie Land hereby opening that area, to the handing over of five new vehicles to the police to be followed in June by two go-fast boats for the Marine Unit, to the reviewing of legislation that should assist police in their work, to police officers engaging in more stringent action in the maintenance of law and order, to the demolishing of abandoned and derelict buildings in and around town that are used by criminals to store both the fruits of their criminal acts and the “tools” of their trade, to several other initiatives, the two sides seem determined to go beyond the usual in curbing crime in the country.
And both sides are talking tough and with good reason. With five homicides recorded in the past month and 39 recorded last year, and a population expressing a fear of crime that has over lapped into the Diaspora the pressures on both the government and the police to do something have been intensifying rapidly.
The year 2010 opened with Prime Minister Stephenson King, national Security Minister Guy Mayers and the police hierarchy meeting to discuss what should be done to suppress crime, and in particular certain types of crime. At that meeting the police were asked to prepare a strategy, short term if needs be, in fighting crime successfully. That report by the police has been submitted to the Prime Minister to which the Prime Minister has given the thumbs up sign.
“From the Prime Minister down Cabinet has given the police its full support and will be working with the police to bring about peace and security in the country,” Minister Mayers told a press conference earlier this week.
At a presentation by police to the Cabinet of Ministers last week several requests were made of the government some of which Minister Mayers said will be delivered and currently being worked on like the Attorney general’s office reviewing legislation so as to make it better to help police in their efforts at fighting crime.
“One of the things coming out of the Cabinet and police meeting is to have police more visible on the streets, police to take more stringent action to maintain law and order,” Minister Mayers said, adding that “the government will continue to provide the police with the things they require to help them fight crime and again within our financial ability to do so”.
Promising the police moral and policy support from the government the national security Minister appealed to the general public to support the police, give the police information that will stand up in court where criminals are concerned.
“We must not show the criminals we are afraid of them. We must show them that we mean business … we need to take our country back from the criminals,” Mayers said.
Police over the past weekend carried out stop and search operations in both the north and south of the island netting marijuana wrapped in foil paper, guns, ammunition, an assortment of knives, scissors, cutlasses, screwdrivers and a host of other objects that could easily take the life of another, along with an assortment of clothing used by criminals from long dark cloaks, to ski masks, to camouflage jackets to headgear for disguise purposes, etc.