Though officers attached to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) in Castries Central have raised concerns about poor working conditions, the Police Welfare Association said it was not officially informed of the issue.
President of the association Camron Laure told St. Lucia News Online (SNO) on Wednesday, July 8, that he was only made aware of the situation after reading the article on this news website.
Laure said that had the officers made an official report with his association, they would have assisted in making sure that the issue is addressed in a timely manner.
However, the Police Welfare Association head said he visited the department on Tuesday to assess the situation and was surprised that the officers had to work under those conditions.
While Laure believes that the new furnishings being procured for the office could help to alleviate some of the problems, he believes that the officers’ homes need to be treated as well to eliminate the bug infestation.
He said he was informed that the office was treated twice for bug infestation, but it keeps reoccurring.
The department also have dilapidated office furnishings and malfunctioning computers, which are interfering with the work flow of the officers.
A majority of the department’s computers were damaged during an island-wide power outage this year. At present, only two computers in the front of the office are operational.
Sources say about seven officers work per shift. This means that only two computers are available for seven officers on each shift, which puts a strain on recording information and investigations.
“These men (senior officers) not feeling it so they can say what they want. Constables are the ones being squeezed,” one of the sources told SNO.
The administration of the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force has indicated that its plans to fix the problem, by providing new furnishing and treating the office for bed bugs again.