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‘We Are Depending On You’ Chastanet Tells Police Amid Vieux Fort Multiple Murders

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Opposition leader Allen Chastanet has voiced confidence in the police amid the gangland-style fatal shooting of seven people in separate incidents in Vieux Fort since Thursday.

“This message really today is for our police officers to say to you that you certainly have my vote of confidence and that of many Saint Lucians. We are depending on you,” Chastanet stated in a Facebook video recording.

“We appreciate that you are leaving your own homes and your own family members to come and defend us,” the former Prime Minister said.

“We really need the police officers to be strong, single-minded and to help bring calmness in our community,” Chastanet asserted.

And while expressing sympathy to those who lost loved ones in the Vieux Fort carnage, he noted that the situation in the Southern town had generated a wave of panic and unprecedented fear.

“I understand that some people are resorting to evacuation of the South,” the Micoud South MP said.

“But the reality is we are a small Island, so what’s happening in Vieux Fort today we have no idea what tomorrow is going to bring,” the United Workers Party (UWP) leader observed.

He appealed to everyone, including community leaders and churches, to give the people solace and comfort.

“Know that we are in this fight together,” Chastanet said.

“We have given reccommendations to the government. Hopefully they will heed those recommendations,” the former Prime Minister stated.

“We need prayers, unity, and strength,” he said.

In addition, Chastanet observed that civil society and community leaders must play a strong leadership role, including supporting and instilling confidence in police officers to bring ‘this madness’ to an end.

Chastanet said he offered prayers and intended to play his role as a leader to bring calm to ‘this sea of absolute chaos’.

“We can make it through this. Saint Lucia is better than what we are displaying,” he declared.

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15 COMMENTS

  1. I appreciate you support for the police Chas, but you know what? They don’t trust you politicians. They say you use them when the country is in dire need of their assistance and attention. And when it’s time for reward, you guys only look out for your political friends in the organization. As just happened under the SLP, no advertising of vacancies, no interviews – persons were just selected for top positions based on political affiliation. This can never auger well for that organization and it’s morale. So while I mentioned the SLP, the same thing happened under your leadership. So moving forward, the police officers need to be promoted on merit and competence, not based on political patronage. This will be a start in transforming this dysfunctional organization and getting it to a position where it’s men and women will be willing to risk their lives for us, the regular citizens. I say this because I have engaged some of the senior ones and what I was told is “let the ones who were SELECTED for promotion do the dirty work”. So Chas, our decisions when not transparent, always backfires.

  2. 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.

  3. Under the reign of the Chastanet led UWP government ,St. Lucia experienced 74 homicides in 2019. This is a fact and not a subjective opinion. What did Chastanet do to eleviate the homicide situation? Nothing! The following years the homicide rates were just as high as the previous years. Furthermore, people do not trust the police, as a result, they are reluctant to provide any information. Providing information to the police could result in ones death. Who would volunteer to be slughtered by a criminal group for providing information to the police? There is no witness protection program in St Lucia. If there were, then those two men from Dennery who were gunned down by the criminals would still be alive. You give information to the police at your own risk.

    We need a professional police force that would treat information from the public as sacrosanct. Members of the police force should be presecuted and convicted if found to have given any information to a criminal group resulting in the death or injury of a citizen. Unless those things are taken seriously I am afraid that the public will not cooperate with the police department resulting in St. Lucia becoming a Hobbesian state.

  4. As for you Chastanet you just a big coward you would not know what to do in this situation for sure taking a bite out of crime was not the Hallmark of your raign of terror. It won’t stop once you have allowed gangs to foster they find ways off keeping afloat and this usually comes with extortion, drug running, ect. I have news for those fools who thinks this is a “VF thing ” the biggest gangs are up North right there at La Cleary and around the Grass Street area. These gans are more organized and building up right under our noses for years. Where are they getting funds from ? Have you wash your car at Point Seraphin entrance lately ? There is another one up at Gros Islet close to gas station, one behind the CDC . Anybody standing in line for you at immigration lately? Holding parking space for you in town Center? Taxi drivers know what’s happening at the bus stand of lately they soon will have to fork over a percent weekly , vendors in Castries market too, they chasing them away now as little begger boys until the enforcers take over and make it clear or else. If You don’t know what’s happening around you in the streets, you don’t listen to the streets you don’t know what’s happening in St Lucia so when stuff like this happen you go Oh it’s that one fault oh it’s politicians fault. Wrong wrong wrong you have no idea.

  5. This seems so unreal. It’s like a reaction to something else. What happened to make these guys snap all of a sudden? Young St.Lucians always wanted fancy things but they were always peaceful. What are they revolting against?

  6. None of these Politricktians in St.Lucia not Ready as yet they only concern about their pockets and Friends

  7. Do we need RSS, to help us when we have over 1000 of service Men and woman,is that not a shame to Us Lucian, what is needed is about 50 service Men and woman patrolling the hole of vieux fort night and day, don’t let this small amount of those guys take over when we are a nation, let’s be brave

  8. How can crime stop, when over 80 percent of the working class earn 3 to 5 EC dollars an hour

  9. They talking about crime but they are not talking about minimum wage for hotel workers and security guards . I have been a victim of crime many times but you think that the young people will go and throw their guns in the castries harbour and go and work for 3 to 5 EC dollars an hour

  10. @Trotsky That’s a lie…..
    this piece of article is from 2022………The country recorded 25 killings during the first five months of this year and a record 74 homicides in 2021. Assistant Police Commissioner George Nicholas spoke recently about the rise in murders, saying that “we have too many homicides being recorded for our little population,” according to Caribbean outlet Loop News.

  11. @Trotsky when you want to claim things as facts go and do your research. St Lucia has only experienced 70+ homicides twice and this was in 2021, we had 71 and 74 in 2022.

  12. GOD :
    “What fault did your fathers find in me, that they strayed so far from me ?
    They followed worthless idols and becomes worthless themselves…
    They did not ask, “Where is the LORD, who brought us out of Égypte and led us through the barren wilderness, through a land of deserts and rifts,a land of drought and darkness,a land where no one travels and no one lives ?
    I brought you into a fertile land to eat its fruits and and rich produce…. But your sons and daughters defiled my land and made my inheritance destable….

    “Therefore I will bring charges against you 🇱🇨 St-Lucia,again, ”
    “And I will bring charges against your children’s children…
    Consider then and realize how evil 😈 it is for you 🇱🇨 St-Lucians when you forsake the LORD your God and have no awe of me, ”
    declares the LORD,
    the LORD Almighty.
    …………
    Long ago you broke off your yoke and tore your bonds ; you said, ‘I will not serve you !’
    Indeed,on every high hill and under every spreading tree your sons and daughters lay down as a prostitue….

    “You of this generation,consider the word of the LORD :
    “Have I been a desert to 🇱🇨 St-Lucia or a land of great darkness ?
    Why do my people say, ‘We are free to roam ;we will Côme to you no more ?
    Does a maiden forget her jewelry,a bribe her wedding ornament ?
    Yet my people have have forgetten me,days whithout number….

    “Return,faithless 🇱🇨 St-Lucians, ‘ declares the LORD,
    ‘I will frown on you no longer, for I am merciful, ‘ declares the LORD, ‘
    ‘I will not be angry forever.
    Only ackowledge your guilt_
    you have rebelled against the LORD your God,
    How skilled you are at pursuing love, you have scattered your favors to foreign gods under every spreading tree,and have not obeyed me, ‘ ”
    declares the LORD.
    ……………..

  13. I’m wondering what recommendations that was made by the opposition leader,as he stated?
    Please stop trying to fool the people., and Show us your intentions.we are not listening to the lies that you spew anymore.. We need gainful employment for your voters and also a fair living wage of $10 per hour based on 40 hrs weekly..
    We need Jobs Jobs Jobs Jobs Jobs and not lies lies lies..
    Come on Folks! Help the Clown find his nose..

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