CASTRIES, St. Lucia, Opposition Leader Allen Chastanet has written to Prime Minister Phillip J. Pierre on the escalating crime situation in St. Lucia, expressing the need for “decisive action to bring this matter under control in the quickest possible time.”
Chastanet said he was writing Pierre in a “spirit of cooperation and bipartisanship” given that “in the last couple of weeks, we have seen and experienced unprecedented acts of gun violence” here.
“Our people live in fear, and our country stands at the precipice of lawlessness. Such acts of violence and Crime threaten the very fabric of our society. We are faced with the destruction of families and communities at the hands of criminals. We grappled with the social decay and increased levels of disruption caused by the continued implications of post-COVID trauma: the recent rise in inflation, supply chain issues, and the Ukraine war.”
Chastanet said the instances of Crime in the last two weeks “demand that as a country we move with alacrity to find and implement solutions that would have the effect of bringing internal stability to our country while at the same time removing the threat that has created fear amongst defenseless people and is paralyzing our economy.”
Last week, Prime Minister Pierre said his administration would be announcing a comprehensive social intervention program to complement the law enforcement measures as he urged St. Lucians to adopt a zero tolerance for Crime on the island.
Pierre, in a radio and television broadcast, warned that the island risks losing all of the gains made over the past few years if the crime situation is not dealt with.
“The challenges we face are demanding but not insurmountable. I call on all St. Lucians to play their part in rebuilding our country and in recognizing that the issue of Crime is for all of us to tackle,” Pierre said, adding, “we must fight this scourge of crime individually and collectively as a country.”
Pierre said that the crime situation here is not a sudden phenomenon and that successive governments have grappled with this situation, also noting that the underlying causes of Crime make it a complex issue that cannot be left to only the police and the government to solve.
On Monday, the police vowed to rid the streets of criminal gangs after a bloody weekend that resulted in the deaths of at least two people, including a British national, and a drive-by shooting that left several people nursing gunshot wounds.
The island’s murder toll claimed 68 on Sunday with the murder of an unidentified person in Vieux Fort, south of here. Last year, St. Lucia recorded 74 murders.
“We will persevere. We will overcome. We need to preserve the sustainability of our country. We will take back our streets and make St. Lucia safe for all visitors and citizens,” Acting Police Commissioner Crusita Descartes-Pelius said.
Chastanet, in his letter, said that with the state of crime “is worse than it has ever been, and the economic implications to follow, we as leaders must come together to fight this scourge.
“Our very social and economic existence is threatened if we are unable to arrest the growing issue of Crime in our country. The intention of this letter is to offer to you some ideas that will help to slow down the current trends and hopefully contribute to a significant longer-term reduction of violent Crime.”
Chastanet said it is his “strong belief that it’s only through government-led coordination with civil society and inclusion of the Opposition that we can create the greatest opportunity for a sustained solution to the problems that we now face and put a stop to the flagrant criminality and terror being perpetrated on the people of St. Lucia, in particular, the gun-related murders that have now reached new levels.”
He said that island could learn from the past experience of two government initiatives, Operation Restore Confidence (ORC) in 2010-11 and the COVID pandemic of 2019-21.
“While I recognize that there are mixed views on the success of ORC, we must appreciate the fact that most Saint Lucians think it was successful and would welcome its return. ORC not only produced a dramatic reduction in Crime but also sent criminals into hiding.
“What we have learned is the flip side that ORC led to the IMPACS report and allegations of targeted killings which were at the center of sanctions imposed against the Royal St. Lucia Police Force. So, it was not so much the intention but how it was implemented that resulted in the imposition of sanctions,” Chastanet wrote.
.Chastanet said he agrees with Prime Minister Pierre that “Crime should not be political and let me further emphasize that, like COVID, Crime does not discriminate.
“I genuinely believe adopting the no tolerance and seriousness of ORC and the transparent and efficient management of COVID should be combined to combat our current crisis. We can only succeed with all of us working together and in coordination.
“The United Workers Party believes in a “Secure future for all St. Lucians.” Crime affects us all and cares not about party or affiliations,” Chastanet said, outlining a number of proposals “that will assist in immediately addressing the issue of crime and, in particular, violent crimes in St. Lucia.”
The Opposition Leader said he is available “to discuss this further with you and assure you of my own and my Party’s support.”
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