Amid suggestions that Saint Lucia look to outside countries for a Police Commissioner, Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre has asserted that Saint Lucians can run the local force.
Pierre spoke Thursday during the Radio 100 programme What Makes You Mad.
The interview came amid the recent recall from retirement of Saint Lucia’s first woman police commissioner, Cruscita Descartes-Pelius, to head the force again.
Prime Minister Pierre, responsible for National Security, noted that she had been top cop for less than a year.
He explained that there were two deputies in the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (RSLPF), both under some scrutiny.
Pierre noted that one deputy is involved in a court matter with Christopher Hunte.
At the same time, he said the other, Ronald Phillip, is the target of accusations mainly from the Police Welfare Association and the opposition United Workers Party (UWP).
Pierre observed that Descartes-Pelius had physically left the force, and Phillip, most of whose promotions occurred under the United Workers Party (UWP), became Acting Commissioner.
” It wasn’t a transition from Pelius retiring to Pelius being the Commissioner,” the Castries East MP stated.
He described Ronald Philip as one of the most promising police officers in the country, with academic qualifications including a Master’s degree.
“There’s Thomas; there’s Charlery, who was there before. There’s Gaston. There’s Dr. Sealy,” Pierre said regarding other promising officers.
“But at the time we thought (Ronald) Philip and (Wayne) Charlery, there was some level of, I don’t want to use the word cloud, but some discussion around them, so we said ‘Listen to me, let’s settle that. Let us allow Pelius to return for one year,” the Prime Minister explained.
And he revealed that afterward, there would be a decision on a new Commissioner of Police.
” We have asked the Welfare Association if you have anything against Phillip, bring it in the open. Don’t leave the young man’s life in a cloud,” Pierre told What Makes You Mad host Stanley Lucien.
He said he could not predict what would happen afterward but explained that there could be criminal proceedings or police disciplinary action.
However, Pierre asserted that anyone can hurl accusations.
“Nobody has come forward. No one has. It’s just third parties, and I can’t cast judgement on that,” he stated.
“You have a very promising young policeman. Very promising. He has his life in abeyance on accusations. That can’t be right,” Pierre declared.
Headline photo: File image.
The rising crime rate and more importantly the waning conviction rate says otherwise. Only humans will select the dumbest among them to lead the herd.
So the sympathy that you feel and express for Ronald, you do not feel it for Wayne Charlery who also is the victim of political interference in the RSLPF. No way does this frivolous politically motivated lawsuit/ court matter compare to minimum 4 allegations of sexual misconduct against your heir apparent commissioner. Stop the Politics PJP. You continue to insult our collective intelligence.