Vernon Fracois. Photo credit: nationnews.com.
GIS - Police Commissioner Vernon Francois, during his end of year address, commended the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (RSLPF) and Saint Lucian citizens for their collaborative effort to fight crime in 2014.
According to Commissioner Francois, the RSLPF achieved greater visibility within local communities through the success of several police initiatives.
“We were able to exceed our target of quarterly community town hall meetings with the Commissioner and senior level officials of the force,” he said. “The town hall meetings were convened in Micoud, Soufriere, Laborie, Grace and La Resource, Dennery and provided the executive of the force and locally based officers with the opportunity to interact with various communities around the island.”
Mr. Francois said the RSLPF will continue to confront crime through a focus on technology and intelligence driven police methods.
He also noted that 2014 saw a reduction in major categories of crime, such as murders, burglaries, sexual offences, vehicle theft and fireman offences.
“This has resulted in an overall reduction in reported crime and increased detection rate over the last year. It is also important to note that there has been a downward trend in murders since 2010.”
Commissioner Francois emphasised that the RSLPF will continue in its quest to provide a more professional and better quality of police service.