Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre has expressed concern about politics and division in the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (RSLPF), declaring that politicians have entered the organisation’s ‘belly.’
“Politicians have interfered in the belly of the police. They come into the belly of the police with all their political situations,” Pierre, responsible for National Security, asserted.
This week, he spoke during the HTS programme ‘What Makes You Mad.’
The Castries East MP decried the notion that the police must support ‘the party’.
“What I want are policemen who support the law, policemen who are fair, policemen who observe people’s human rights, and policemen who would be responsible,” Pierre declared.
But while noting that people believe officers must support ‘the party’, the Prime Minister also stated that sometimes officers bring their politics into the RSLPF.
Pierre said he was watching a situation very closely where there seemed to be direct political involvement at some levels of the police force.
“We don’t want anybody using the police force as their political springboard,” he told programme Host Stanley Lucien.
And regarding division in the force, Pierre said people must understand that there could only be one Commissioner.
Someone said that the current Commissioner is a SLP hack. Not sure if that is true. Politics is destroying the country.
PM Pierre and his jellyfish ministers are some of the most divisive people in St. Lucia. No sooner had the SLP got back in office, known and suspected supporters of the UWP summarily dismissed even from entry !level jobs in the civil service. Wickedness!
Divisiveness! Victimization!
Partisan politics has permeated every sector of society in St. Lucia, even the church has not escape from this polluted politics. It’s no surprise that the police force is a victim of this pervasive and corrupting political divisiveness.
Mr. Pierre, stop being disingenuous and start to lead by example. How can you expect to have an apolitical police force when your parliament is like a political slaughter house? Political turmoil abounds.
As it is… what are you? I. believe the Commissioner is highly qualified for the role and that has nothing to do with her political affiliation. Remove your yellow lense, it’s clearly obstructing your judgment.
Vibz, your vibes are bad vibes. Although it shouldn’t be, both political parties are involved in victimization. They go as far as discontinuing projects the opposing party started. Politics is dirty to the core on both sides maybe even more so on the opposition party. No party has a clean slate, whether it’s racism, victimization, corruption or incompetence!
Is there a Deputy who is anti red?
Well that is politics.
How many passports were sold from 2016 to 2021? We need to know.
Vernette so called boncamper are you for real, did you really understand the comments from “as it is” ? Lord have mercy on idiots like you
Pierre was at the heart and soul of that political interference in the police force. Today he wants to talk about it when it has reached a stage of almost no turning back. Pierre you were with Kenny when the horses bolted, why are you trying to close the stables doors now. To those who are wondering yes there is a more qualified female top cop who should have been commissioner before Pelius bit she is not red. Apart from being more qualified she has a lot more years of service left which would have given the force a more sustained period of stability. Pelius is already of retirement age and Pierre has done the same that Chastnet did with Desir. What he was so much against.
Sir politics in every aspect of our country. Right now because you have decided that unlike uwp you won’t fire the unscrupulous people UWP operatives are left holding high positions in government jobs or agencies on project etc and offering their people higher salaries compared to what they offer labour people. Look into the various projects and compare. All guy people that still on a certain project getting better pay than those they think are labour.
The SLP government was responsible for introducing policies into the police force after their 16 – 1 victory a few years ago. So shameless Pierre should keep quiet on that issue. Just recently, this current SLP administration, notwithstanding the criteria for promotion which involves qualification, advertisement and interview selected some of its supporters for promotion – one to a very senior position despite serious criminal allegations against him. The selection process as advertised by the Public Service Commission was without a modicum of doubt, not adhered to. And now this man has the audacity to speak of political interference in that organization? Their actions is what have led to the destruction of that organization. Ask Pierre who was responsible for planting spies within the rank and file of that organization to report back to their administration? Ask Pierre who encouraged these very spies to sow seeds of discord in order to disrupt commissioners suspected of being UWP loyalists? So Mr. Pierre it has now become obvious to the officers that they must be political in order for them to advance in that organization. This is now their only way forward, and has become the preferred method for both parties when in power, sadly so.
St. Lucia has to get to a place where people can agree amicably to disagree even with political affiliation.
I had a personal experience in St. Lucia many many years ago ..simply because of my grand mothers political affiliation…not mine.
I was not old enough to vote at that time and I applied for an available position in the government building. I presented credentials took a test and passed with flying colors.
I overheard the supervisor in the back office say “we can not give her the job her grandmother is a labor”…wow
I left St. Lucia not long there after and I have resided abroad since then. What the woman did not know was what she meant for evil definitely turned out for my good…I am currently a qualified healthcare professional.
PIP and the SLP are the ones introducing politics into the public service and by extension, the police force. Specialty Boards had always been allowed to operate independently. The SLP formed the TVET Board in 1997, and when SLP lost the election in 2006, the UWP allowed the Board to continue undisturbed. The SLP won in 2011, and the Board continued undisturbed. The UWP won the election in 2016, and the TVET Board continued to operate undisturbed. All of a sudden, the SLP won in 2021 and the Board of TVET is now in disarray. The SLP dismissed all the professional people and replaced them with party members who know nothing about the job. all because the SLP now wants to use the TVET money from the EU to promote youth economy, whatever that means.
What does Pierre expects when he breeded this with Kenny and now has made it worse. Could you imagine there is a Public Service Commission and a Teaching Service Commission and all appointments must go through the Office of the Prime Minister first. So government departments like Inland Revenue, Customs, even schools are without officers and teachers for weeks and months because the appointments are sitting on the desk at OPM. Pierre must give the stamp of approval before these Commissions can rubber stamp the appointments. Do you know how many St Lucians are suffering today because of his actions. Remember it was him and Richard who referred to Chastnet as a dictator and Helaire and Shawn called him vindictive and oppressive. I want to know now who is WHAT?