Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre has announced help from the Regional Security System (RSS) and twenty-four-hour police patrols among measures in response to deadly gun violence in Vieux Fort.
“The Regional Security System (RSS) and other assets have been contacted and will be on the ground early next week,” he disclosed.
Since Thursday, seven people have succumbed to gunshot injuries in Vieux Fort.
“It is time to act, and I ask for your support. There will be some difficult decisions to be made, and some strong actions will be taken to deal with these cowards and criminals,” Prime Minister Pierre declared in an address to the nation Saturday evening.
And in addition to announcing other measures to deal with the violent crime spike, the National Security Minister disclosed that on Sunday, he would meet some civil society and business leaders to discuss the current situation and seek solutions to the problems.
The Prime Minister’s complete address appears below:
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23 COMMENTS
Only now it is time to act? Only now? And while you getting off your laurels to apparently do something, it is a mare Bandaid you are applying. Same old response..you have no ideas ..you are a week leader… deploying security assets early next week when families are living in fear NOW?… What a clueless leader….the criminal rats will simply stay in their hole till the cats (police) go back to base and the gun toting will start again…you are are disgrace as a leader…and I criticize u harshly for this situation on the island…your plan will not get rid of the gangs…
So they gangs will wait until next week correct PM. You is a joker by default. Watch and see what those lunatics will do before and after, slaying will happen right under their’s and your noise. This PM not serious in his righted freaking mind honestly.
When you deal with the kingdom of darkness to gain power the end result is always the same…….. death and destruction
For how many days will the rss be in full petrol? Will this bring and end to the hang war? PM …. There is a lot more to be done…go back to the drawing table with all stake holders and let’s do this well.. the RSS alone can’t solve this heartless gang war ..
The “stakeholders ” are only interested in making sure they get hold of more STEAK. I no longer take any comfort when we hear about St Lucian stakeholders. They have remained quiet making money off Lucians, paying ridiculous wages while St Lucia goes to the dogs. They sit in their fence and dog protected mansions grumbling while St Lucia spirals downhill.
They could not care less about the fundamental structural breakdown of society under the corrupt SLP. As long as they can make their fees and 200% mark ups.
They do not know the true way forward because of their venality and are afraid of telling the SLP the truth.
This time reminds me of every SLP administration. We keep hoping that they see the light, that every momentous speech shows a grasp of the situation. Instead everything just keeps getting worse.
The reality is the slp THEY HAVE NO MANAGEMENT SKILLS. They are only concerned with raping the treasury in the years they are there. We already have reports of who is buying public land at firesale prices. We already see who have gotten the big money jobs and travel on $50,000 trips.
At the most Vieux Fort might see a quelling of the violence for a period but the killings will start again by Summer and in other communities.
No one wants to talk about the killers wreathed in a cloud of weed smoke, from broken single female families and devoid of the decency that makes a society great or even functional. But they are part of the ‘malaway’ to be coddled for votes.
No one comments that every spokesman for these communities who comes on social media has a joint between their fingers or looks like a low grade gangster from an American ghetto dressed like a punk.
St Lucia is depressingly broken. Our leadership is corrupt, immoral and a bunch of thieves with the citizens the last at the table.
Deals are hatched daily behind closed doors with cabals each doing their own thing. The only thing that matters to them is to work together, keep things tight to get as much as possible till 2026.
We like it so!
Maybe you need to look passed the ingrained racism in the SLP and request proper help from the French primarily as this concerns them the most. This could include aerial patrols and intelligence gathering. Though the whole place including the politicians know the perpetrators. There are a lot of St. Lucians in the British military and I understand that they have been doing patrols in the Turks and Caicos so again invite them to assist. This again is in their interest to stem the flow of drugs to the UK though the banana boxes and BMW engine blocks have stopped for now. I understand that the US and UK have also cooperated in anti-corruption and anti-drugs campaigns in the Virgin Islands and TCI. The problem is that there are close connections between these deviant people and politicians as the money is like miele mixed with siwo. There may be no interest in solving the problems.
I wrote about “The political underpinnings of crime in Vieux Fort” but Saint Lucia Times has refused to post it. In this write up I tried to explain the underlying cause of crime in the town that is seldom spoken of – the Gangs and their political connections.
I don’t think it is the job of SLT to play politics. Let the people air they views unfettered providing they are not slandering anyone, and I am sure I didn’t. In this crime climate, no one should be censored, St. Lucia Lucia times.
I can assure you that this problem in Vieux Fort will not be dealt with by the band aid solutions announced by the PM. As said by some, the gang members will just lay low, strike at targets of opportunity and wait for the drunks and hooligans sent by RSS, to leave. So to solve this problem we need to deal with the root of the problem – the political underpinnings of crime in Vieux Fort.
You by gat the worst Pm. You are a lost case.
Why do you have a personalized plaque saying “a leader we can trust'” while saying this is no time to play politics. You sir are always playing politics. You sir are a joke. When the RSS leaves, what happens next. Kenny said there will be no peace in vieux fort south, looks like he was a man if his word
According to Pierre: “My father was a retired policeman (40+ years ago). I know about policing.” Hell! That makes him a security expert. Such is the abject stupidity one is confronted on a daily basis. Pierre needs to throw in the towel immediately. He is dabbling in area that he knows nothing about which can seriously hurt the nation. He needs to quit while he is far behind.
Calling in RSS everytime there is a spike in crime is not the solution…far from it. It is a very temporary solution. The solution will be greatly eased by traffic checks (that search), no bail, big rewards to tipsters for conviction…among the options.
Note: El Salvador and Honduras had the highest murder rates in the world. Last year, the former had zero murders in 307 days. Wonder why? The government took the bull by the horns. Yes, non-white people can be terrorized, Mary.
The government of St Lucia is only going to waste a ton of money and resources putting out the fire every time it flares up. Crime tends to happen in certain areas, why are we not seeing this and making changes. Changes like more street lights in dark areas, more security cameras in those hotspots, closing down the escape routes, constant police presence on the blocks. All we doing is just foolishly begging criminals to stop their ways. From day one the PM has been putting the blame on the public for everything, its not their job apparently. They want you to inform on criminals, inform to the same corrupt people who will sell you out to the criminals. COVID was your fault and now CRIME is your fault, that has nothing to do with their failure to manage the issues.
We are all to blame. “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
What do we expect when we :hide” and let the criminals perform their activities with impunity? Because; they are our family, our friends, our neighbors. We have stood by for years and let it fester…now the “chickens are coming home to roost”.
It’s here….let’s stop and reflect for a second…When we hear of organized crime, we automatically think of the mafia and the portrayals of organized crime in popular media, like The Godfather or The Sopranos.
Remember, Organized criminal groups can operate locally, nationally or even internationally,
Criminal organizations can include small operations with a handful of individuals who are involved in selling drugs. It can also include large-scale organizations that participate in a number of criminal activities as well as legal activities, often combining legal and unlawful activity to help legitimize their organization and hid the illicit activities.
Without saying more…that’s what we are dealing with now….ORGANIZED CRIME…..which includes individuals from…..yes, I will say it….Law Enforcement, Customs and even the Banking System…..
Now go figure…….
Mr. Pierre, your u fitness for the office you currently hold is quite apparent. Crime was the most concerning issue before you became prime minister and still remains this way at present. Only now you are reaching out to all of society to discuss possible solutions to this perennial problem. You should hang your head in everlasting shame.
This is unacceptable. The country is in a serious downward spiral at warp speed under your leadership. You have failed the citizens of this country and our standing in the World. Are we supposed to continue to live in fear from rising crime, poverty, questionable decisions that doesn’t advance the interest of the country, unnecessary restricted freedom of sorts under your ineffective administration for the next three years? Lives and livelihood are at stake, time is of the essence. Three years is a very long time from now to wait for new elections. Given the rapid deceleration of way of life under your leadership, so much more irretrievable damage could be done to the country by then. I think it’s time for a fresh election to be called. This administration is total and complete failure. A dud.
The Minister of National security should resign with immediate effect, for he has failed miserably.
I am JUSTICE. I noticed that despite all the killings in Vieux Fort, including those of innocent family members, no one has asked for me. I am there, patiently awaiting your plea. I implore you, don’t wait until the police starts killing to ask for me, for I am always available and willing to come to your rescue. I want to hear you plea – we want justice for….
@ Citizen now I know I’m not alone; I always thought we were operating our democratic rights by writing our thoughts on here, we know now, who gives the orders.
Brave move, Prime Minister.
Marie Thomas you’re not wrong but you’re not right either. What can an average person do to stop this crime. We don’t have guns. We can’t defend ourselves. We report infractions and the police themselves rat you out. You see disorder near you, you call the cops, nothing happens. Why risk it?
Mr PM do what you have to do and ignore the clowns because they will never be please at anything you do. They same one bawling and cussing you now you ask for help THEY ARE STiLL CUSSING YOU SO DAMN IF YOU DAMN IF YOU DON’T. They are acting like The RSS is St Lucia based, you have to mobilize a force get on a plane and come down, that’s what happens when you don’t have an army you wait.@citizen you are absolutely correct VF has more police on the road now than Castries wish it could stay like this, but we know those boys are just laying low until everyone leaves and it’s on and popin again this is not over yet…..wait until after funerals then it will be a revenge issue not a political issue as some is lead to believe.
Yes they coming to help but in what way they helping I wanna knw cause if they coming to patrol like y’all already doing it’s useless bringing them ok but since you bringing them bring them the sack of guns y’all got from behind the square because there are murder weapons in the sack of guns but yet still the law gave them bail.. y’all Lucian police only knw how to raise y’all hand n voice on innocent people rather than catching someone wit a murder weapon finding evidence on that weapon n jailing the person but y’all can’t do that cause y’all only wants eyes witnesses to solve y’all cases…we in 2023 but yet still Lucian police investigate murder cases like we still in 1994 that’s why we will forever have hundreds of unsolved murder cases….
shameful, this prime minister is a joke, st .lucian dont give police in st lucia no information , they will rat you out, most of them on the bosses payroll. choiseul police is worst , the take your number and go back to tell the person you repot and give them your number. lord st lucia is bleeding and this will never stop. there is no law in st ,lucia. the drugs dceals has no guns the the police, they pass through customers. they all on the bosess payroll.
The only that the young people could get is working as a security guard for 3 to 4 EC dollars an hour .. The young men prefer to sell 5 bags than to do that kind of job that takes them nowhere in life
Only now it is time to act? Only now? And while you getting off your laurels to apparently do something, it is a mare Bandaid you are applying. Same old response..you have no ideas ..you are a week leader… deploying security assets early next week when families are living in fear NOW?… What a clueless leader….the criminal rats will simply stay in their hole till the cats (police) go back to base and the gun toting will start again…you are are disgrace as a leader…and I criticize u harshly for this situation on the island…your plan will not get rid of the gangs…
So they gangs will wait until next week correct PM. You is a joker by default. Watch and see what those lunatics will do before and after, slaying will happen right under their’s and your noise. This PM not serious in his righted freaking mind honestly.
When you deal with the kingdom of darkness to gain power the end result is always the same…….. death and destruction
For how many days will the rss be in full petrol? Will this bring and end to the hang war? PM …. There is a lot more to be done…go back to the drawing table with all stake holders and let’s do this well.. the RSS alone can’t solve this heartless gang war ..
The “stakeholders ” are only interested in making sure they get hold of more STEAK. I no longer take any comfort when we hear about St Lucian stakeholders. They have remained quiet making money off Lucians, paying ridiculous wages while St Lucia goes to the dogs. They sit in their fence and dog protected mansions grumbling while St Lucia spirals downhill.
They could not care less about the fundamental structural breakdown of society under the corrupt SLP. As long as they can make their fees and 200% mark ups.
They do not know the true way forward because of their venality and are afraid of telling the SLP the truth.
This time reminds me of every SLP administration. We keep hoping that they see the light, that every momentous speech shows a grasp of the situation. Instead everything just keeps getting worse.
The reality is the slp THEY HAVE NO MANAGEMENT SKILLS. They are only concerned with raping the treasury in the years they are there. We already have reports of who is buying public land at firesale prices. We already see who have gotten the big money jobs and travel on $50,000 trips.
At the most Vieux Fort might see a quelling of the violence for a period but the killings will start again by Summer and in other communities.
No one wants to talk about the killers wreathed in a cloud of weed smoke, from broken single female families and devoid of the decency that makes a society great or even functional. But they are part of the ‘malaway’ to be coddled for votes.
No one comments that every spokesman for these communities who comes on social media has a joint between their fingers or looks like a low grade gangster from an American ghetto dressed like a punk.
St Lucia is depressingly broken. Our leadership is corrupt, immoral and a bunch of thieves with the citizens the last at the table.
Deals are hatched daily behind closed doors with cabals each doing their own thing. The only thing that matters to them is to work together, keep things tight to get as much as possible till 2026.
We like it so!
Maybe you need to look passed the ingrained racism in the SLP and request proper help from the French primarily as this concerns them the most. This could include aerial patrols and intelligence gathering. Though the whole place including the politicians know the perpetrators. There are a lot of St. Lucians in the British military and I understand that they have been doing patrols in the Turks and Caicos so again invite them to assist. This again is in their interest to stem the flow of drugs to the UK though the banana boxes and BMW engine blocks have stopped for now. I understand that the US and UK have also cooperated in anti-corruption and anti-drugs campaigns in the Virgin Islands and TCI. The problem is that there are close connections between these deviant people and politicians as the money is like miele mixed with siwo. There may be no interest in solving the problems.
I wrote about “The political underpinnings of crime in Vieux Fort” but Saint Lucia Times has refused to post it. In this write up I tried to explain the underlying cause of crime in the town that is seldom spoken of – the Gangs and their political connections.
I don’t think it is the job of SLT to play politics. Let the people air they views unfettered providing they are not slandering anyone, and I am sure I didn’t. In this crime climate, no one should be censored, St. Lucia Lucia times.
I can assure you that this problem in Vieux Fort will not be dealt with by the band aid solutions announced by the PM. As said by some, the gang members will just lay low, strike at targets of opportunity and wait for the drunks and hooligans sent by RSS, to leave. So to solve this problem we need to deal with the root of the problem – the political underpinnings of crime in Vieux Fort.
You by gat the worst Pm. You are a lost case.
Why do you have a personalized plaque saying “a leader we can trust'” while saying this is no time to play politics. You sir are always playing politics. You sir are a joke. When the RSS leaves, what happens next. Kenny said there will be no peace in vieux fort south, looks like he was a man if his word
According to Pierre: “My father was a retired policeman (40+ years ago). I know about policing.” Hell! That makes him a security expert. Such is the abject stupidity one is confronted on a daily basis. Pierre needs to throw in the towel immediately. He is dabbling in area that he knows nothing about which can seriously hurt the nation. He needs to quit while he is far behind.
Calling in RSS everytime there is a spike in crime is not the solution…far from it. It is a very temporary solution. The solution will be greatly eased by traffic checks (that search), no bail, big rewards to tipsters for conviction…among the options.
Note: El Salvador and Honduras had the highest murder rates in the world. Last year, the former had zero murders in 307 days. Wonder why? The government took the bull by the horns. Yes, non-white people can be terrorized, Mary.
The government of St Lucia is only going to waste a ton of money and resources putting out the fire every time it flares up. Crime tends to happen in certain areas, why are we not seeing this and making changes. Changes like more street lights in dark areas, more security cameras in those hotspots, closing down the escape routes, constant police presence on the blocks. All we doing is just foolishly begging criminals to stop their ways. From day one the PM has been putting the blame on the public for everything, its not their job apparently. They want you to inform on criminals, inform to the same corrupt people who will sell you out to the criminals. COVID was your fault and now CRIME is your fault, that has nothing to do with their failure to manage the issues.
We are all to blame. “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
What do we expect when we :hide” and let the criminals perform their activities with impunity? Because; they are our family, our friends, our neighbors. We have stood by for years and let it fester…now the “chickens are coming home to roost”.
It’s here….let’s stop and reflect for a second…When we hear of organized crime, we automatically think of the mafia and the portrayals of organized crime in popular media, like The Godfather or The Sopranos.
Remember, Organized criminal groups can operate locally, nationally or even internationally,
Criminal organizations can include small operations with a handful of individuals who are involved in selling drugs. It can also include large-scale organizations that participate in a number of criminal activities as well as legal activities, often combining legal and unlawful activity to help legitimize their organization and hid the illicit activities.
Without saying more…that’s what we are dealing with now….ORGANIZED CRIME…..which includes individuals from…..yes, I will say it….Law Enforcement, Customs and even the Banking System…..
Now go figure…….
Mr. Pierre, your u fitness for the office you currently hold is quite apparent. Crime was the most concerning issue before you became prime minister and still remains this way at present. Only now you are reaching out to all of society to discuss possible solutions to this perennial problem. You should hang your head in everlasting shame.
This is unacceptable. The country is in a serious downward spiral at warp speed under your leadership. You have failed the citizens of this country and our standing in the World. Are we supposed to continue to live in fear from rising crime, poverty, questionable decisions that doesn’t advance the interest of the country, unnecessary restricted freedom of sorts under your ineffective administration for the next three years? Lives and livelihood are at stake, time is of the essence. Three years is a very long time from now to wait for new elections. Given the rapid deceleration of way of life under your leadership, so much more irretrievable damage could be done to the country by then. I think it’s time for a fresh election to be called. This administration is total and complete failure. A dud.
The Minister of National security should resign with immediate effect, for he has failed miserably.
I am JUSTICE. I noticed that despite all the killings in Vieux Fort, including those of innocent family members, no one has asked for me. I am there, patiently awaiting your plea. I implore you, don’t wait until the police starts killing to ask for me, for I am always available and willing to come to your rescue. I want to hear you plea – we want justice for….
@ Citizen now I know I’m not alone; I always thought we were operating our democratic rights by writing our thoughts on here, we know now, who gives the orders.
Brave move, Prime Minister.
Marie Thomas you’re not wrong but you’re not right either. What can an average person do to stop this crime. We don’t have guns. We can’t defend ourselves. We report infractions and the police themselves rat you out. You see disorder near you, you call the cops, nothing happens. Why risk it?
Mr PM do what you have to do and ignore the clowns because they will never be please at anything you do. They same one bawling and cussing you now you ask for help THEY ARE STiLL CUSSING YOU SO DAMN IF YOU DAMN IF YOU DON’T. They are acting like The RSS is St Lucia based, you have to mobilize a force get on a plane and come down, that’s what happens when you don’t have an army you wait.@citizen you are absolutely correct VF has more police on the road now than Castries wish it could stay like this, but we know those boys are just laying low until everyone leaves and it’s on and popin again this is not over yet…..wait until after funerals then it will be a revenge issue not a political issue as some is lead to believe.
Yes they coming to help but in what way they helping I wanna knw cause if they coming to patrol like y’all already doing it’s useless bringing them ok but since you bringing them bring them the sack of guns y’all got from behind the square because there are murder weapons in the sack of guns but yet still the law gave them bail.. y’all Lucian police only knw how to raise y’all hand n voice on innocent people rather than catching someone wit a murder weapon finding evidence on that weapon n jailing the person but y’all can’t do that cause y’all only wants eyes witnesses to solve y’all cases…we in 2023 but yet still Lucian police investigate murder cases like we still in 1994 that’s why we will forever have hundreds of unsolved murder cases….
shameful, this prime minister is a joke, st .lucian dont give police in st lucia no information , they will rat you out, most of them on the bosses payroll. choiseul police is worst , the take your number and go back to tell the person you repot and give them your number. lord st lucia is bleeding and this will never stop. there is no law in st ,lucia. the drugs dceals has no guns the the police, they pass through customers. they all on the bosess payroll.
The only that the young people could get is working as a security guard for 3 to 4 EC dollars an hour .. The young men prefer to sell 5 bags than to do that kind of job that takes them nowhere in life