The state-of-the-art Babonneau Police Station was officially opened on Monday, July 22, 2013.
Officers at the Babonneau Police Station are gearing up to host activities in observance of the station’s one-year anniversary.
A full day of events have been planned for Sunday, June 29, 2014 in that regard.
A parade, church service and family fun day at Skyrides St. Lucia Aerial Tram compound are among the major events planned for the day.
Things will kick off with the church service at 8 a.m. at the Babonneau Catholic Church and culminate at the tram park in Chassin. All 500 tickets for tram rides, which were sold at a discounted price of $5, have been sold out.
The tickets were made available to the police for sale at this special rate by management of the tram as part of the company’s efforts to give back to the community. Such a gesture has been done a few years before, and according to the tram’s manager Kevin Shank, “we just thought it’s something that we should get back into”.
Proceeds from the ticket sales will go towards community projects.
Speaking to Saint Lucia News Online (SNO) Sargent Fabien Montoute said it has been a relatively “quiet” year for police at the station. This he attributes to good relations between the police and general public.
“We have a good rapport with the community, with community policing. Whatever we do, we do with the partnership of the Babonneau constituency – the schools, the nurses from the area, the priests, the pastors, everybody … So we have a very good understanding of the various problems that exist in the community and we’re working in partnership with everybody to solve these problems. So we had a very quiet year due to the fact that the community policing efforts is reaping rewards,” he said.
The Babonneau Police station was officially opened on July 22, 2013.
Speaking to media ahead of the launch last year, Police Chief Vernon Francois said the new station would significantly enhance the capability of law enforcement by reducing police response times.
“With a police station now in the district of Babonneau, we will again have an excellent opportunity for police officers to interact with community groups, youth clubs, churches and other organisations in Babonneau in an effort to deliver more effective policing,” Francis said.