The President of the Saint Lucia Craft and Dry Goods Vendors Association has expressed concern over attacks on tourists and has called on the Police Commissioner to address the situation urgently.
“We have had a number of situations where tourists have been robbed and people grab their items from them,” Peter ‘Ras Ipa’ Isaac told reporters on Thursday.
“I think the Commissioner should look deeply into that,” Isaac asserted.
“We have had something you call the Rangers or the Rapid Response. Now in the past, people have said they have done a phenomenal job in terms of protecting that particular industry which we consider to be the pillar of our economy,” the Vendors Association President recalled.
“And the other thing that they can probably look into as well is the whole question of bringing in these reserve police officers who already have some level of training, ” Isaac said.
Isaac said that a budget allocation could be made so those officers could possibly serve for a six-month period during which the tourism industry is ‘alive and well’.
He indicated that by this means, there could be some relief from people who are looking for opportunities to grab items from visitors.
According to Isaac, on Wednesday on Jeremie Street, someone grabbed a gold chain from an English visitor.
He said the visitor fell when the perpetrator grabbed the chain, and the tourist sustained some bruises.
“There were not many officers present at the time. The other thing I notice is the officers who are traversing the City or patrolling the City with bicycles, I find the strategy is a bit questionable. All of them are always together. If you have ten of them, the ten of them are together. I don’t know if that is the correct strategy,” Isaac told reporters.
He said the officers needed to spread out so that they could signal each other for expeditious mutual assistance in the event of an incident.
You have all lost the fight; the answer has been staring you in the eyes for many years and governments, past and present in both Political Parties have ignored the sighns, now its out of hand and the culprits all have guns and they are not afraid to use it. Will you Sir with great political powers in the present Administration suggest to them that the primary answer is to start whipping some axxes. That would be for crime with non lethal weapons. For genocide the only answer is to bring back capital punishment, i.e. hang the bastards. Who on God’s earth can criticize you? you take a life, you forfeit yours. Tell Mary.
It all take a determined and a concerted effort from all of society to reduce the unacceptable present crime rate to an acceptable level.
Crime does not discriminate. It doesn’t matter but social or political status. It behooves us all to get involved to reverse the present trajectory of this escalating crime wave. We can’t be so politically and socially deter and still expect good outcomes on this devastate matter. United we stand divided we fall.
Keep this up and “the pillar of your economy” will be history. Remember people share experiences with each other as well as social media. I honestly feel sorry for all that is happening in St. Lucia. Some St. Lucians are seriously self destructive …
The people of St.Lucia need to know the happened crimes are not just going to stop. All of us have to take responsibility for what we do. The next step is that people need God in their lives to create a change, on our own we can’t fight natural and spiritual wickedness which is going on. If we make a conscious effort to put God first we will see a great change.
I’ve been lamenting that throughout this year and the last, when on a weekly basis you read about an attack on or a robbery on a tourist. I really thought Ipa had gone to leave in Taiwan and Helaire and the other top tourism elements like Arsis and Thaddeus were in space. Not one of these have made a comment or come out and condemn such behavior. Better late than never I guess Ipa.