CASTRIES, St. Lucia, CMC – The Royal St. Lucia Police Force (RSLPF) Tuesday withdrew a document that had been sent to all principals of schools in the Central Division dealing with loitering, disorderly conducting, unlawful fighting by students and the possible prosecution of students as of February 1.
The document had been prepared by the Community Relations Branch (CRB), and the matter was discussed on Monday, with the police indicating that the illegal activities by the students “have been occurring with increased frequency of late, and as such, a determination was made to address these concerns with the relevant authorities.
The police noted that it is “unlawful” to engage in loitering, disorderly conduct, and fighting, adding that “they pose a significant risk to the students and the public at large.
“There are remedies available, including the utilization of the juvenile court systems, where monitoring and rehabilitative measures may be implemented to redirect delinquent behavior.”
In the original document, law enforcement expressed concern about groups of unruly students converging in the capital after school and creating disturbances.
According to the document, the police Central Division has decided that schoolchildren found fighting, loitering, armed with illegal weapons, or possessing illicit substances will be arrested and prosecuted as of February 2023.
“Incidents of school fights and bad conduct continue to create an atmosphere of disorder and lawlessness which cannot continue,” the document noted.
But in a statement, the police said that the CRB-prepared document “has since been retracted, as the true intent of the meeting was not correctly expressed and may have caused more panic and outrage than conveying the severity of the problem law enforcement is encountering as a result of students’ non-adherence to law and order.
“All schools are under the authority of the Ministry of Education, and the RSLPF will endeavor to approach this matter with the relevant parties assigned to each District,” the police said in the statement, adding, “we wish to apologize for any undue concern this may have caused.”
The statement said acting Deputy Commissioner of Police Ronald Phillip has since contacted officials within the Ministry of Education, including the Permanent Secretary, Michelle Charles, and Deputy Chief Education Officer, Giannetti George, and “offered apologies on behalf of the organization, for the manner with which the intent was conveyed.”
“Both organizations recognized that the concerns were serious, which posed challenges for both agencies and agreed to collaborate on preventative measures to address them.”
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