Two men are currently in police custody after officers found 42 rounds of 9 mm ammunition and a bulletproof vest in their possession on Saturday.
The police arrested the men, who also possessed ski masks, on Martin Luther King Street in Vieux Fort in a continuing crackdown on criminal activity in the community, which recently experienced a deadly gun violence spike.
The spike led Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre, who is responsible for National Security, to invite Regional Security System (RSS) troops here to work alongside the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (RSLPF) in restoring calm to Vieux Fort.
And under recently passed legislation, Vieux Fort South has been designated an escalated crime zone, granting the police expanded powers to deal with criminal activity there.
In their joint operation on Saturday, the officers also arrested six people for various offences, including possessing M-16 assault rifle ammunition and illegal drugs.
And on Thursday, they arrested 22-year-old Delbert Daniel for possessing a 9 mm Luger and thirteen rounds of ammunition.
A court granted him $20,000 bail on the firearm and $30,000 on the ammunition charge with suitable surety.
But officers who spoke to St Lucia Times anonymously have expressed frustration with the judiciary.
They explained that politicians and the public are on the backs of law enforcement to respond decisively to the upsurge in crime.
But the officers told St Lucia Times that when police ranks leave their families and put their lives on the line to arrest criminal suspects, granting the suspects bail is tantamount to telling them to ‘go back to work’.
“We are not asking the judiciary, due to its independence, to work in tandem with the police, but there must be a semblance of concern for the greater good,” one concerned officer stated.
So far for the year, police have seized more than twenty-five illegal guns.
Headline stock photo: Police on patrol in Vieux Fort (Image courtesy Royal Saint Lucia Police Force).
Madness, madness, madness!!! Why in the world are those gun-toting hoodlums granted bail?! The crime situation will never change for the better as long as the criminals perceive that the law has no teeth! Shame on us!
This is ridiculous. The judges need to be arrested and procecuted for wrong doing.
ARE THEY ABOVE THE LAW?
We need protest against thoes reckless decisions They are putting the law enforement at high risk and extreme demotivation.
Legislación pass so why is it not being enforced by the judicial system.
I will not be supprised if this PM resigns. His efforts are becoming worthless.
The enablers……(:/..)
It makes no sense letting criminals out on bail who have been found with illegal weapons. Not an iota of sense…well, unless you are interested in extending the problem. It’s known by almost everyone, that these characters rearm and get back to their dirty work. They also create instability in their communities. Security guru Pierre, why in God’s name are you letting those clowns out?
Both times cops are putting themselves in jeopardy as they try to apprehend the criminal a second time. Pierre, just get out of the security business because you are fumbling around. This is no time to dabble in a field you don’t know. Get a person who is qualified and able (I don’t mean a hack). Pass the necessary laws that will stop the revolving door. That is the least that you can do. If you have to pack them in, so be it, because that’s all you have. Terrible.
YOUR NAME SAY IT ALL …….POUL FOO . WHAT PJP HAVE TO DO WITH PEOPLE GETTING BAIL ? UR’LL DOES SONG SO IGNORANT IT’S NO JOKE .
@Osmond. Sorry you don’t know the laws of the land. The judiciary will only do what is permitted by law. Next time, don’t put yourself in the showcase.
@Osmond …. obviously, you DID NOT read the article of the policeman’s frustration with the judiciary, including the politicians and the public … ‘But officers who spoke to St Lucia Times anonymously have expressed frustration with the judiciary. They explained that politicians and the public are on the backs of law enforcement to respond decisively to the upsurge in crime….” YOU – are also one of those who are on the backs of the police to “respond decisively” …
Honestly the only answer is that these magistrates and judges are the involved enablers period! Smph
I am not opposed to their right to post bail especially if have not been previously convicted of violent crime or multiple felonies. It needs to be made clear to the public that alleged offenders have the legal right to seek bail pending trial. This is a democracy.
@Poule Foo:- you certainly got that right. This is a game of life and death and right now we can’t allow square pegs in round holes. Dr. Horace Chang the former Chairman of the Council for National Security and Law enforcement was seeking for a sucker to take over this office, and boy did he find one.
This is not an easy job, in it you’ve got yours and other people’s lives in your hands. this idea of people being able to put up Bail totaling $20 + 30,000(i.e. $50,000) is beyond my comprehension. I suppose this is the glue that keeps the Drug business going and it keeps a lot more than that going, and PjP knows very well, he is now National Security Chairman and he must win the fight – or else good bye – to win maybe, but at what cost? may I suggest, start at the Law Courts, the Judges, Magistrates and Lawyers. No more Bail for this kind of criminal charges. Stuff the Jail full with these guys; only then we can call you a winner. The Ball is in your Court; don’t allow your neighbouring Island heads to keep laughing at you and I feel your hurt…..’to God be the Glory’……
@John Brown you sound like an enabler. If you are caught with an illegal firearm in this volatile crime situation, there should be no bail.
To those who want to absolve Politicians from fault about our crime situation it’s simply because u are a political hack. The judiciary can only do what is in the laws. The laws are ONLY set by the Politicians i.e. the parliamentarians including the senate. So the Police do according to the law and so does the judiciary. What’s even worst the bosses and criminals are mostly defended by lawyers who are politicians. While those lawyers make hefty sums defending those criminals and bosses, they also make hefty sums travelling (per diem) getting deals and also gratuity after 2 terms a mere 10 years of no work. The rest of us live our lives in fear, get robbed at will and face the possibility of a stray bullet hitting us. SMH that some of u all defend those politicians and blame the people.
Osmond bang on target, some of those Poule Foo comments sound like a particular Sargent Avocar ti papier who thinks he is a Law Lord smh. All he has to do is file an injunction again this time to stop the Judiciary from granting bail.
I PJP through the ministry of legal affairs should send these magistrate on leave and invite foreign ones to come down just like the RSS. Granting these ppl bail is just a tap on the risk and like the police rightfully said endangering the police force and family life. This is a cowboy judiciary system at work.
Commenters should disabuse themselves of the illusion that the laws of St. Lucia were enacted to protect the rights of its citizens; laws were passed to protect the rich and powerful from common citizens! The judiciary, legislators, legal fraternity, and police have been selected to administer laws in favor of the rich & powerful, against the common citizen.
Or, as one comedian put it: “It’s an exclusive club; and you’re not part of it!
I have just two questions – (1) how long have these archaic laws been on the books in St. Lucia??? It seems to be way before the age of the dinosaur – just saying.
You guys also need to understand that you are only 238 square miles and the laws which apply to a much larger country may not necessarily be suitable for you. Also, your economy depends on the tourism industry.
Question (2) – if you indeed you have a person in custody who may have been identified as the murderer. If they are involved in illegal and unlawful acts as a career – $20,000.00 or $30,000.00 is merely chump change to them. To those who always state if the minimum wage is increased they would be no crime – really ???? – they can’t find work -etc etc
Now having said that; – what process or processes are currently in place in St. Lucia’s legal system to revisit/revise/update these archaic laws etc. etc. etc. A lot has happened since the time of listing citizens date of birth and collecting insurance premiums and recording said payments in a composition notebook for real – my my my my ????????
Wake up St. Lucia – please wake up – the world is watching and taking note for real.
wow no wonder the police often times let these guys kill them selves cause its very true that you work hard to get those guys n and then in a week they out on bail it makes no sence. i like they are catching them one by one cause since the streets are hot it forces them to carry a weapon to defend them selves so then now when the police get them with that weapon they can go in for a long time presuming the idiot magistrate or judge dont give them bail
The law does not require release on bail where the court accepts police objections to bail and is satisfied that there is risk of further offending or that the offence is too serious to allow bail. The problem is with your prosecution lawyers and your magistrates. Use your politicians to cry out. How powerful is drug money in St Lucia?