The Royal St. Lucia Police Force (RSLPF) formally welcomed 49 new police officers to its ranks on Friday, May 24, 2019 during the 36th Passing Out Parade held at the RSLPF Training School in La Toc, Castries.
PC153 Luchiano ‘Luchi’ Garde, a former student of Sir Arthur Lewis Community College and St. Mary’s College, was awarded the Best Recruit of Course 36.
The boost in the Force’s numbers comes as the country experiences an upsurge in gun violence.
Prime Minister Allen Chastanet, who attended the ceremony, said in a Facebook post that the new recruits “have taken on the job of police officers to serve Saint Lucia without fear or favour”.
He said their enthusiasm and perseverance during 28 weeks of training is a sign of their dedication and commitment to the profession.
“Their precision drilling, camaraderie, and enthusiasm are encouraging signs of their willingness to work as a team, and will be the foundation to their lives in the real world of policing,” he wrote. “As they go forth into their new career I would like to wish them all the best and thank their families for being supportive of their decision to become police officers.”
He congratulated all the winners, particularly Garde, for their “exemplary achievements” and noted that his government “remains committed to providing the resources necessary for our police officers to fight crime and make Saint Lucia a safer place”.
News that the staff complement of the RSLPF would’ve been increased was first announced at a police press conference on August 31, 2018.
The officials had promised that the new batch of recruits would be in uniform and on duty by 2019. They were at the time highlighting the crime situation in the country, from January – July of 2018, to media personnel. SEE PHOTO GALLERY OF THE PARADE BELOW (courtesy PM’s FB page)
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