Opposition Leader Dr. Gale Rigobert.
Leader of the Opposition Dr. Gale Rigobert has called on Prime Minister Dr. Kenny Anthony to release the Caricom IMPACS Report which contains information about the alleged 2010-2011 police killings, as he had promised.
Dr. Rigobert said given that the report in itself is extremely late, she advised that PM Anthony move quickly to discuss the findings of this report with the public and all those that it concerns.
“It will help to lift the dark cloud that hangs over heads of men and women of the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (RSLPF), persons affected and the nation at large,” she told HTS News Force recently.
The opposition leader said that the report has implications for all citizens and the RSLPF as it continues to provide security to the people of the country.She said that time has come for the findings to be made public.
Dr. Rigobert said while the report may include some sensitive information, which would require the prime minister to exercise his judgment on what to reveal, there should be some level of disclosure.
“I hope in time those persons concerned and the Office of the Leader of the Opposition will be afforded the opportunity to engage with the prime minister, as to what this report means for us,” she added.
In his New Year’s Address Prime Minister Dr. Kenny Anthony had promised to release the findings of the report early this month in a public address. He also revealed that his cabinet was deliberating on the contents and implications of the report.
Members of the RSLPF were accused of the extra-judicial killings between 2009 and 2011, during Operation Restore Confidence. The United States had used the incident to cut back on aid to St. Lucia.
In August 2013, the United States officially informed the St. Lucia government that Washington had suspended assistance to the RSLPF, citing human rights violations.
A ban was also placed on all St. Lucian police officers, including its chief Vernon François, who was, about a year ago, prevented from travelling to the United States to represent regional police commanders at a Conference of Black Police Officers in the United States.
A team of police officials from Jamaica was appointed to investigate the alleged police killings. The Caricom IMPACS probe will determine whether there was wrongdoing in the 12 police killing.