Police charged 27-year-old Nazim Jamal Henry of Barnard Hill, Castries for the offences of possession of firearm, possession of ammunition, possession of a controlled drug and cultivation of a controlled drug.

Henry was arrested on Wednesday, March 5, 2014 on a marijuana plantation at Des Barras, Babonneau during a raid by the Police.

He appeared before the First District Court in Castries on Friday, March 7, 2014, where he pleaded guilty to all of the charges. Henry has been remanded to the Bordelais Correctional Facility until April 11, 2014 for sentencing.

A Bexon man charged with possession of ammunition was granted bail in the amount of $2000 cash or suitable surety at the First District Court on Tuesday, March 11.

Eron Collymore aka Ranks of San-De-Faye, Sarrot, quarter of Bexon was arrested when officers attached to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) executed a search warrant on Sunday, March 9, 2014 about 4:15 a.m.

A magazine containing six rounds of .32 ammunition was recovered during the police search.

Collymore will reappear before the court on March 28, 2014.

Two females are among four people arrested by Marchand Police officers on Friday (Mar. 14) morning over the discovery of firearms and suspected drugs at a residence in Arundel Hill, Marchand.

The officers executed a search warrant on the house about 5:45 a.m.

During the search, the officers recovered a Taurus .380 pistol with loaded with six rounds of ammunition, a Glock .380 semi automatic pistol with loaded with 10 rounds of ammunition and a quantity of green plant material suspected to be cannabis.

The four who are in police custody are expected to be read their charges at court at a later date.

A string of violent incidents occurred on the island last night (Mar. 14) in succession.

Police reports indicate there was a shooting on Jeremie Street, Castries, a stabbing on Carl Crescent Avenue near the Soufriere bus stop and a stabbing in the Graveyard – happening a few minutes of each other.

There was also a robbery on Carl Crescent Avenue Saturday morning. Someone was stabbed in the process.

St. Lucia News Online will provide more details on these incidents as they become available.

Jhad Deterville at 17 years. Police photo from 2007.

Escaped prisoner 23-year-old Jhad Deterville of Corinth, Gros Islet is nursing gunshot wounds at Victoria Hospital.

Deterville escaped lawful custody from the Rodney Bay Police Station, on Friday March 14, 2014 about 7:35 p.m. It is alleged that whilst on the run about 10:30 p.m. that same night, he sustained two gunshot wounds to his right leg by known assailants.

He was admitted at the hospital, and is in a stable condition.

No one has been arrested in relation to the shooting incident. Deterville, however, will be charged for escaping lawful custody amongst other charges.

Investigations into this incident continue.

This is what a Perazzi MX8 double barrel 12 gauge shot gun looks like.

A Castries woman and her son are in trouble with the law over a firearm and ammunition found at a house which they occupied.

On Friday (Mar. 14.), officers of the Special Services and Drug Units recovered the Perazzi MX8 double barrel 12 gauge shot gun along with one round of Winchester ammunition, during a search warrant at the house in Odsan, Castries.

Fifty-three-year-old Cecila Albert also known as Cela, and her son 25-year-old Lance Cyril Albert also known as Appliance were at the house at the time.

The Alberts were arrested and charged for the offences of Possession of a Firearm and Possession of Ammunition.

They appeared before the First District Court in Castries on Monday, March 17, 2014.

There are some issues at Custody Suites which needs addressing, however, these issues are not due to the negligence on the part of police officers.

Some of the issues are brought about because of the configuration and layout of the facility which is compounded by the actions of the persons in custody.

Whereas persons are fed due to logistical, security and financial constraints, it is not possible to provide persons in custody with hot meals. However, there are provisions made for persons with special medical conditions and dietary needs. In some instances, subject to the rules and regulations of the facility, meals may be accepted from relatives or friends.

In regard to security issues, where as there are security concerns, management has put in place precautionary security measures that cannot be disclosed to address that issue.

The Custody Suites serve a very important role as a temporary holding cell. The authorities are mindful of the issues and have been seeking to address them subject to the availability of resources.

Two men are nursing stab wounds at the Victoria Hospital after they were attacked in two separate violent incidents on Friday night (Mar. 14).

Mike James of Pavee sustained stab wounds to his left arm and left side of his abdomen on Jeremie Street, Castries about 9:30 p.m.

In the second case, Jermaine Joseph of Bagattelle, Castries was stabbed under his right breast at Bagattelle about 9:45 p.m. They were both stabbed by unknown individuals. Police have not yet held anyone for questioning in those matters.

The conditions of the men are currently unknown.

Security Minster Phillip La Corbiniere

CASTRIES, St Lucia (CMC) – National Security Minister Phillip La Corbiniere has hinted that the St Lucia government would not support plans to decriminalise marijuana for medicinal and religious activities.

Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders at their just concluded inter-sessional summit in St Vincent and the Grenadines discuss the issue of decriminalising of small quantities of the drug as well as exploring the economic benefits that might be derived from marijuana cultivation.

According to the communiqué issued following the talks, the regional leaders agreed to the “establishment of a Regional Commission to address the issues identified and any others deemed relevant in order to provide clear guidance with regard to decisions to be taken”.

The Commission is expected to submit a report to the regional leaders at their annual summit in Antigua in July.

But La Corbiniere, speaking on television, said he remains unconvinced about decriminalizing marijuana, telling viewers if he had a deciding vote, it would be an emphatic no.

“Maybe part of that relates to the fact that I grew up on the outskirts of the city where I was able to witness first -hand the development of the drug problem.

“The problem actually started with marijuana, let us not forget that, it was the drug of choice on the streets for many years, and probably some 10 years after we saw the emergence of cocaine coming into the country,” he added.

La Corbiniere said that he had seen youngsters with whom he went to school move from marijuana to hard drugs, and watched generations of families destroyed.

He said St Lucia also had a problem with the use of alcohol resulting in tremendous social and economic cost.

“The question facing us now is whether St Lucia wants to impose a marijuana problem on that. So I would like to bring to any discussion both here and at the CARICOM level, to what good use can marijuana be put, is there any impelling scientific factor that factor that gives rise to the use of the drug? I would like to see a lot more discussed on that issue.

“But a fact greater than that, suggests that any official sanction given to the use of the drug will negatively impact these societies and our way of life for many years to come,” he said.

La Corbiniere said that despite the fact that CARICOM had created a regional commission to further advance the debate, there was still no guarantee that the region would adopt the report.

“…within CARICOM, countries are independent and would bring an independent view in seeking to arrive at some consensus,” he said.

St. Jude’s Hospital.

The St. Jude’s Hospital recently completed a comprehensive review of its security system with the hope of beefing up security, to discourage bandits from invading its premises.

This move comes a few weeks after staff at the hospital’s business office was robbed at gun point.

Dr. Cherry Poyotte, Chief Executive Director of St. Jude’s Hospital, said that an action plan has been developed, which will hopefully improve the current situation.

“We are working cooperatively with the Ministry of Health. The idea is that we develop a comprehensive review, which has been shared with the ministry. We are hoping that moving forward, we will increase and improve the security at the hospital,” Dr Poyotte added.

He said the review is also part of a wider focus, to improve all the systems by which the hospital operates, before it is relocated.

St Lucia News Online (SNO) reported on March 13, 2014 that the perpetrator was still on the run. The officers of the Criminal Investigations Department, (CID) of the Southern Division are searching for the robber. Police said it is alleged that a masked individual armed with what appeared to be a shotgun, entered into one of the offices of the medical facility and “stole an undisclosed sum of money.”

SNO understands that about $1000 went missing.

Meanwhile, in addition to improving on its security, the hospital’s review also looked at working on performance improvement, policies and procedures (standard operating procedures) and clinical care guidelines.

Dr. Poyotte pointed out that in 2012, as part of the Ministry of Health drive to have hospitals accredited a survey was done at that hospital.

He noted the institution is now working to become an accredited facility, and to meet international standards.

“This is because we believe that we must be able to demonstrate to the public that commitment to excellence,” he added.

These plans are expected to become effective soon with the support of the ministry.

St. Jude’s Hospital is a statutory body of the government of Saint Lucia and is governed by a board of directors appointed by the minister of health. It is located in Augier, Vieux-Fort, in the southern tip of the island. It serves a population of approximately 66,000 persons.

Marijuana plants.

During an operation at Garrand, Babonneau on Saturday, March 22, 2014, officers attached to the Babonneau Police uprooted and destroyed approximately 500 marijuana plants from two separate plantations within close proximity to each other.

Also, three maintenance warrants were executed.

The officers would like to thank the Garrand community for their cooperation during the operation.

A 9mm Beretta.

Three young men, including a 16-year-old have been charged with firearm, theft and drug offences, and are currently on remand.

Their arrest came after Marchand Police Officers executed a search warrant at a residence in Bagatelle, Castries on Sunday, (Mar. 23).

The police officers, according to a police press statement, found a .22 pistol, a 9mm Beretta, a flat screen television which was reported stolen and a quantity of dry plant material suspected to be cannabis, during the search.

Twenty-two-year-old Villian Emerson Joseph, 23-year-old Michael Christopher of Bagatelle, Castries along with 16-year-old Minella Joseph of Ti Rocher, Castries, were charged, as a result, with possession of firearm, possession of a controlled drug and handling stolen property.

They appeared before the First District Court in Castries on Monday, March 24, 2014, and have all been remanded to the Bordelais Correctional Facility until April 11, 2014.

The police said this is the fourth firearm confiscated by officers attached to the Marchand Police Station in less than two weeks.

Photo Credit: rslpf.com.

The Royal Saint Lucia Police Force will hold its first quarterly Commissioner’s Parade for 2014.

The parade will be held on Friday, March 28, 2014 at 3 p.m. at the Police Academy, La Toc, Castries.

The purpose of the quarterly parade is to reward police officers, who have performed commendably throughout the quarter, in an effort to boost their morale.

Long serving members will be presented with Long Service Medal. Stations, Units and Departments will also be recognized for outstanding performance and exemplary upkeep.

After the short ceremony, the officers on parade are expected to march along the streets of Castries and fallout at Police Headquarters, Bridge Street, Castries.

Yachts at Gros Islet.

An increase in police patrol boats at select yachting locations on the island is one of the measures government is attempting implement in order to curb robberies on yachties.

Concerns have been raised over robberies on tourists while aboard their yachts, in the north and particularly the south of the island. Among the more serious incidents recently, was the robbery and killing of British national 62-year-old Roger Pratt, while he was aboard a yacht at the Vieux Fort Sea Port in January. His wife, Margaret, who was also on the vessel, suffered injuries. At least five men have been held for this crime.

National Security Minister Victor Phillip La Corbiniere speaking to Saint Lucia News Online (SNO) said that while an increase in patrol vessels will not completely solve the problem, it will help the situation. One of these vessels has already been assigned to the Vieux Fort Port, and it has been conducting constant patrols.

Additionally, police officers stationed in the south of the island have been directed to be extra vigilant in dealing addressing the issue.

The minister said however that prohibitive costs associated with engaging the patrol vessels, have limited police efforts to some extent.

“It costs quite a bit, in terms of fuel, just to do occasional runs. So if you have a boat for example, that’s constantly moving around [and] you’re burning a lot of fuel and it’s gonna become extremely costly. One of the alternatives might be to look at smaller boats, for example, that could do internal waters patrolling, but again you have to look at safety for police officers and so many other issues. So it’s an issue that we have been giving some attention to and trying to address but it is one of the more difficult ones,” he said.

Moreover, he said another problem lies with intelligence sharing and the ability of police to adequately investigate and curtail the incidents before they occur.

Majority of the robberies involve tourists who are already on land and move on to their boats, the minister noted.

“They are actually coming from the land so there has to be a tighter sharing of intelligence in relation to that land-based criminal activity and the persons who are moving out unto the yachts to commit crimes. So we’ve had that discussion and I think the police are trying to improve on that intelligence,” he said, adding that his ministry is attempting to implement a “more comprehensive approach” in dealing with the issue.

He further stated that apart from better coordination between land-based and sea-based operations, his ministry is trying to take on a proactive approach rather than to wait for an incident to happen to act.

“So we’ve been talking about trying to increase patrols in some areas, but again it’s at a cost,” he said.

Tens of thousands of people come to St. Lucia every year by yacht.

With regard to crimes on tourists in Castries, La Corbiniere said that steps have been taken to increase the police presence in the city. He said that while there will always be criminal activity, visibility helps in curtailing some crimes.

A problem with this though, according to him, is there is a lack of resources and hence limits the number of police officers which can be stationed in certain areas of the town.

“We can’t station pockets of police officer at five or six or seven locations within the city. Those police officers are also required to police the city in a more general manner. These are some of the practical issues that we face,” he said.

With all this, La Corbiniere was adamant that the city of Castries “is definitely safer than it has been in the last four or five years.”

“It is a lot safer than it has been but it’s not a perfect situation. There are issues and problems [and] from time to time we will see some incidents. We just have to keep the situation under review all the time and try to shift resources (when necessary),” he added.

Victor La Corbiniere.

An investigation into the alleged extra-judicial killings of 12 persons by police officers between 2010-2012 in an “Operation Restore Confidence” regime is fairly complete.

Minister for National Security Victor Phillip La Corbiniere, in an interview with Saint Lucia News Online (SNO), said that while he is unable to put an exact date on when the investigations will be completed, the report is in a fairly advanced stage.

It will be concluded and presented to government sooner, rather than later, he said, adding that he expects an announcement will be made to the public in that regard.

“For obvious reasons, we have not wanted to go into everything but as I have said is that investigation is fairly advanced and once that report is written up it will be handed in to us and at some point… [and] we will indicate to you that the government has got the report,” he said.

“Obviously, there will have to be a Cabinet briefing, and the prime minister will have to be fully-briefed as well on the issue,” he said, while adding that other individuals such as our attorney general will also need to be acquainted with that document before its contents are disclosed to the public.

The allegations had resulted in the United States banning local police from benefiting from any initiatives that it funds or organises. That ban is still in effect. 

La Corbiniere also promised that when the report is ready, government will indicate steps that it intends to take to deal with the matter.

In a statement following the announcement of the US ban in August last year, Prime Minister Dr. Kenny Anthony confirmed that government had invited the CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS), to identify three senior investigators from the region to investigate the killings.

“The investigators will be asked to evaluate all available evidence and determine whether or not these matters warrant further action. The findings, if adverse, will be forwarded to the director of Public Prosecutions who has ultimate jurisdiction in criminal matters,” Anthony had said.

In addition to this, Dr. Anthony informed the public that government would enact “new legislation to conduct investigations of the type just proposed so as to ensure that such investigations enjoy the full protection of the law and that the findings of any investigation are lawfully transmitted to the director of Public Prosecutions.”

He said that that measure was needed to “ensure that a mechanism exists to deal with such situations in the future, should such unexplained or suspicious deaths occur.”

The ban against St. Lucian police officers also includes Commissioner of Police Vernon Fancois, who was last year prevented from travelling to the United States to represent regional police commanders at a Conference of Black Police Officers in the United States.

The prime minister confirmed however, that “contrary to speculation by some, I wish to make it clear that the US visa of the commissioner has not been revoked. This has been confirmed by the United States Ambassador to the Eastern Caribbean Larry Palmer in a telephone conversation with me.”

Officers on parade at Friday’s event.

Officers within the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (RSLPF) have been urged to educate themselves on police laws, particularly those pertaining to excessive force.

Deputy Police Commissioner Errol Alexander told the first quarterly Commissioner’s Parade for 2014 last Friday (Mar. 28), that they need to make an effort to familiarise themselves with Standing Orders within the Police Act.

He told attendees that while police are allowed to use some force, they should be careful in using excess power when dealing with citizens.

Police brutality is an issue which has surfaced in St. Lucia from time to time, with recent media reports pointing to individuals allegedly being shot and hit by police “for no substantial reason,” as some victims have claimed.

Errol Alexander

Meanwhile, Alexander not only called for officers to acquaint themselves with the other aspects of the law but also took the opportunity to commend officers who have performed their duties with distinction – many of whom were awarded at the parade and others promoted to higher ranks within the force.

The Commissioner’s Parade was held at the Police Academy at La Toc, Castries.

Among its major aims is to “reward police officers, who have performed commendably throughout the quarter, in an effort to boost their morale.”

Various officers within the different departments, stations and units of the RSLPF were recognized for outstanding work while long serving members were presented with Long Service Medals.

The ceremony ended with a parade along the city’s streets and ended at the police headquarters on Bridge Street.

Taxi driver Moses Bertrand of Marigot.

Taxi driver Moses Bertrand, who was allegedly stabbed multiple times by a tourist, has been released from the hospital.

Officers of the Criminal Investigations Department responded to the incident on Millennium Highway, Castries about 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, April 1, 2014.

Bertrand was reportedly attacked after the male tourist and his female companion boarded his bus from Marigot en route to a hotel in the north. He was transported to the Victoria Hospital on an ambulance.

The motive for the stabbing is unknown. 

In an official report on Wednesday (Apr. 02), the police indicated on arrival on the scene, the officers observed a Caucasian pair standing near a stationary taxi, and later accompanied them.

Police are questioning the tourists as investigations continue into the incident.

Moses Bertrand of Marigot.

The male tourist who allegedly stabbed a taxi driver attached to the Capella Marigot Bay Hotel could soon be charged with assault.

A source involved in the investigation told St. Lucia News Online (SNO) on Thursday (Apr. 03) that the tourist is currently undergoing further psychiatric evaluation.

The results will provide guidance to the police investigations.  The source also told SNO that insurance compensation is currently being discussed with officials for stab victim Moses Bertrand.

Meanwhile, General Manager of the hotel Jerome Clint described the incident as a “horrible situation.” Speaking to SNO today, Clint said that he was taken back on the news. He said he is also deeply concerned about Bertrand, who received multiple stab wounds to his chin, shoulder and hand.

Clint said he has since spoken to Bertrand and has also offered to assist him assist him in “whatever little way they can.”

“We generally care because he is somebody who works and lives in our local community,” he added.

In response to a question about reports of his guest behaving strangely, Clint said he is unaware of that situation and because of company policy preferred not to make any comments on that.

During an exclusive interview with SNO, Bertrand claimed hotel staff was aware of an incident at the hotel where the tourist behaved strangely.

Bertrand claimed the attack made on him was unexpected.

The Ministry of Tourism is yet to issue an official statement on the incident.

Five men are currently in police custody after their vessel was intercepted by officers attached to the Marine Unit about 9 p.m. Thursday, April 3, 2014.

The vessel named “West Shark” was intercepted about two nautical miles southwest of The Pitons in Soufriere. The vessel was boarded and a search conducted on it.

The officers discovered seven polythene bags containing dry green material suspected to be Cannabis.

The men, whose ages range from 21 to 40, will be charged for drug-related offences.

Attorney Gerard Williams is threatening to take legal action against law enforcement authorities here after three Russian women were held for questioning by police into a possible human trafficking ring.

Williams told reporters that the State was denying the unnamed women their civil rights and liberties.

“What troubles me is that their civil liberties and rights are being denied and I will go further to say that the circumstances surrounding their being detained amounts to forced imprisonment,” Williams told reporters.

The women were reported to have been detained and questioned by the police last weekend on suspicion that they were victims of human trafficking. All of the women are in the mid-20’s and one is reported to be pregnant. They had been performing exotic dances at an entertainment club, north of here.

Local media reports said that the women have had their travel documents seized and confined to a local hotel.

Williams said he would be filing a habeas corpus application and bringing an action against the state “for what mounts to their imprisonment.”

“The police have not communicated with the Russian nationals or their counsel that their detention has anything to do with their protection,” he said.