CASTRIES, St. Lucia, Prime Minister Phillip J Pierre says his administration will be announcing a comprehensive social intervention program to complement the law enforcement measures as he urged St. Lucians to adopt a zero tolerance to crime on the island.
The island last year recorded 74 murders, and so far this year, there have been 67 murders so far this year.
Pierre, in a radio and television broadcast on Sunday night, 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.”
He said to achieve this, “we need you, the citizens, to promote a zero tolerance towards criminality of all forms, noting that “small infractions of the law, not speaking the truth, threats malicious gossip, envy, peddling lies and hatred on the internet and airwaves, domestic violence, and child abuse may appear small in comparison to homicides, but we know how seemingly small issues snowball into larger societal problems.”
Pierre said that the crime situation here is not a sudden phenomenon and that successive governments have grappled with this situation.
“It has hurt us, caused pain to families, and threatened the fabric of our society. But crime has continued to plague us for too long; we must fight back and take our communities.
Pierre said that the underlying causes of crime make it a complex issue that cannot be left to only the police and the government to solve.
“The fundamental question is: what type of citizen do we wish to create in St. Lucia and the world? Until we know the answer to this question, can we effectively overcome the crime challenges that beset us? An answer to this question is that we need to create empathetic citizens who respect the rule of law and value and respect human life and rights.”
He said forming this type of citizen requires input from all sectors of society, including the family, schools, churches, civil society groups, businesses, and the government.
“It has been said before that crime is every citizen’s business, and we must all play our part in stemming its increase. Our neighborhood watch groups must be reactivated, along with organized sports clubs and wholesome community activities. In short, we must return to being our neighbor’s keeper.”
Pierre said that his administration, despite its limited resources, has been able to provide the police with the necessary tools in to order to fulfill its mandate of ensuring law and order, pointing to several initiatives, including the passage of the Firearms (Amendment) Act that included new fines that can extend to EC$250,000 (One EC dollar=US$0.37 cents) or to imprisonment for terms which may extend to life.
Pierre said that the government last Tuesday signed a five million US dollar agreement with the Barbados-based Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) to assist the vulnerable in the country and that over 8,000 citizens will be impacted.
“Very shortly, I will be announcing a comprehensive social intervention program to complement the law enforcement measures,” he said, adding, “I take the opportunity to advise citizens to avoid the temptation of spreading graphic scenes of dead and mutilated bodies out of respect for those who have suffered the loss of loved ones.
“We do not want to be a society that has become accustomed to scenes of mutilated bodies and blood-spilling. In the coming weeks, as the police will intensify searches and roadblocks, there will be some inconvenience. I urge the public to be understanding and cooperate with the police during these trying times.”
Pierre said that the police are expected to make maximum use of the powers conferred upon them by the law to bring an end to that upsurge of homicides in our country.
“We must offer no encouragement in word or deed to criminal behavior, and the government will be relentless in supporting the police in that battle,” Pierre said, adding, “collectively, we need to confront these criminals that seem to be creating an atmosphere of fear and trepidation.
“As a people, we must not allow criminality to overcome us. Let’s all play our part as we continue to fight together,” he added.
and then 