The newly installed Minister for Crime Prevention, Jeremiah Norbert, has declared the Government’s intention to adopt a holistic approach to fighting crime.
Norbert said the strategy would include opposition input.
He noted that the Government is working towards implementing more stringent anti-crime measures.
The Micoud North MP also spoke of involving all agencies, civil society, and interest groups, including opposing political parties.
“Crime is everybody’s business,” he asserted, adding that the Saint Lucia Labour Party (SLP) administration intends to bring all stakeholders together to tackle the problem.
“I will make a deliberate effort …to ensure that we get everybody involved,” he told reporters at a media briefing on Monday.
Norbert assured that the opposition would have a seat at the table.
“When Saint Lucia is doing well when we have less crime,” he added.
“It is not the government or the opposition, (it is) we as a people (who ) are doing well,” the Micoud North MP said.
Over the past years, the Government has sought external assistance in the fight against crime.
Recently, Saint Lucia received support from the Regional Security System (RSS), and lately, the French Government has also stepped in to assist.
“We have gotten assistance from various agencies and we welcome all the assistance that we’ve got,” Norbert, a former police officer, told reporters.
Nonetheless, he expressed confidence in the Royal St Lucia Police Force (RSLPF) members’ abilities.
He said there had been “a significant improvement” in the past weeks, with an increased police presence as officers performed their duties.
The minister said the Government is working to provide resources and training for the police.
However, he told reporters that the police could not do it alone but needed the public’s help.
Norbert said the upcoming Regional Security System’s (RSS) Unity Exercise 2024 (UNEX’ 24), scheduled for April 2 to 13, will significantly benefit the local officers.
“We see that the whole crime situation is an evolving one, and we need to ensure that the police officers are up-to-date in terms of their training and their ability,” he explained.
Garcon tell us something we don’t know
I want to know the difference between Crime prevention; National Security and Home affairs Secretary. That would be talking about PJP, You and Virginia.
No doubt your change of tune was due to the multiple doses of tongue lashings Pierre received from the public for his multiple failings and refusing to work with the leader of the opposition while at the same time accepting help from foreigners. One would have thought that common sense would prevail in insisting that the first port of call so to speak when one has domestic issues, is to find a solution in house by using the resources that you have an abundance of which are the people of Saint Lucia and which coincidentally includes the opposition party. No Mr Norbert, I can’t help but see that this new approach, considering you work under the purview of the Prime Minister, that your inclusion of the opposition party to dealing with the crime situation is an admission by Pierre himself that he Pierre was wrong all along for refusing the opposition’s extended hand to help solve the crime scourge. Pierre has skillfully found a way to admit his incompetence without outwardly admitting his incompetence by appointing you. Hence, I will be watching carefully your plans on dealing with this crime menace, but it won’t be lost on me that your plans and strategies and implementations will be signed off by the Prime Minister and therefore, Pierre is the proverbial puppet master in the shadows pulling the strings. I suspect, Pierre was too proud and it would have been too embarrassing to admit his failings in public and therefore here we are today with your appointment as minister for crime prevention. And although I wish you all success in your endeavours, I also suspect that you have become by default, the fall guy for any failings that may occur in the fight against crime leaving Pierre to sit in the shadows to either point the blaming finger at you for any failings or reap the joys of your successes. I welcome the new approach to crime which was severely lacking for a few past decades and I look forward to a better Saint Lucia, a Nation that is quite capable of punching above is weight and reaching its fullest potential…
Man you can do all you want but crime will never stop until you bridge the gap between the rich and the poor . How can you have youtes graduating from secondary school and is only jobs that pay 3 to 5 EC dollars an hour after 400 year of slavery 85 percent of the population do not own land it is the system that should take responsibility for the crime …
Every society in this world has rich, middle class and poor. Some of us with integrity, good morales and common sense work LEGALLY for what we have.
There are those Lucians however, who believe the government is responsible for them and their children (who they decided to have with Tom, Dick, Harry and all 3 = useless)and the government should house them, feed them, pay for their carnival costume and their jazz tickets …some of you Lucians are living in the twilight zone for real….some of you also believe that the relatives who are abroad working very hard in snow, tornadoes and rain should send send you $$$$$…..corparwayzoon (nonsense) thats why when I do travel which is extremely rare I would rather stay at a hotel ….some of you are too much and very unreasonable …I don’t need no tamarind balls…mwee meem ……..you all can keep that sugar for real.
Re Article of the blind leading the blind syndrome…
How can we minimize crimes in St Lucia?
Firstly the slave wage system must be abolished ASAP to provide a solution to the working poor and overworked people in order to solve problems. It’s very important to know that most of the workers are underpaid and due that, creates crimes. ( Facts).
The employer’s must pay the workers a decent living wage not less than $10+ per per hour for every hour of work to the workers, in doing so the crimes will be less than currently, the government alone cannot solve the problems we have to solve, we need better thinkers for our solution, Too much time is wasted doing the wrong things over and again and no solid result..
We need all hands and minds to help St Lucia..
The deceiver and the traitor will arrange a’Singal’opposite the word of GOD,
Jerimiah :
“Annonce and proclame it, keep nothing back, but Say, “St Lucia 🇱🇨 is filled with Terror, ‘Her images (statues will be put to shame and her idoles filled with Terror ❗
“In those days at that time,” declares the LORD, “the people of St Lucia (and the mockers, blasphèmers Ungodly together, will go in tears to seek the LORD their God…
They will ask the way to the house of the LORD the gate way to heaven and turn their faces towards it…
They will come and (bind) themselves to the LORD in an everlasting 🌈 Convenant that will not be broken…
“The newly installed Minister for Crime Prevention, Jeremiah Norbert, has declared the Government’s intention to adopt a holistic approach to fighting crime”. That suggest that Norbert is admitting that with all the crime this country has been faced with, there is no strategy for fighting it. Ok. Great confession.
Now we have a Minister of National Security, a separate Minister of Home Affairs and a separate Minister for Crime Prevention. So who do the police report to?