St. Lucia police during a patrol. * Photo credit: Telesurv.
(SNO) – Prime Minister Allen Chastanet is promising safety to all citizens of Saint Lucia by focusing on three areas with goal of reducing serious crimes by the end of 2020.
He said there will be a focus on better policing, great efficiency in the legal system and the rehabilition of offenders.
Earlier this week he met with senior security officials for a weekly security briefing.
According to Chastanet, there will be an increase on police patrols.
“Crime prevention and detection will benefit from a stronger police presence in ‘hotspot’ areas,” he stated. “We will be increasing foot and mobile patrols on the frontline where they are needed most.”
Chastanet said greater surveillance “is being made available to the police with the rolling out of the $1.8 million Safe City CCTV Project in Castries.”
He said his government doesn’t believe in only incarcerating offenders but also rehabilitating them.
“My Government does not believe that incarceration is the only solution to reducing crime in Saint Lucia,” the Prime Minister pointed out. “Rehabilitation will be a key component in crime reduction aimed at preventing re-offending upon discharge. Inmates at the Bordelais Correctional Facility and juveniles at the Boys Training Centre will be offered enhanced life skills, literacy and numeracy schooling, substance abuse counselling and CVQ certification programmes to give offenders the skills to re- enter society with better options for employment, thereby reducing the lure of criminal activity.”
He also noted that since assuming power, his administration has made a number of interventions to improve justice and security in Saint Lucia.
According to him, these include:
-Appointment of a Director of Public Prosecution
-Reopening of the Forensic Laboratory
-Installation of High Definition CCTV cameras in the city
-Repairs to Police Stations across the island
-Recruitment of over 150 new police officers
-Provision of new Police vehicles
-Provision of new Police motorcycles
-Repaired the broken Radar system in Vieux Fort
-Rehabilitation of courthouses
-Repairs to our Marine Patrol boats
-Signing of Security MOU’s with key allies
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