Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre, who met on Monday with Saint Lucia’s new Acting Commissioner of Police (CoP) Verne Garde and members of the police executive, has urged citizens to uphold Saint Lucia’s laws.
“As a country, I call on every citizen to play their part in upholding the laws of our beautiful country. Let us build a safe and prosperous Saint Lucia,” Pierre wrote on Facebook.
Verne Garde’s initial contract, which took effect on Monday, will last six months.
Pierre announced the appointment hours after Saint Lucia recorded its 56th homicide for the year.
Twenty-nine-year-old Keston Delaire sustained multiple gunshot injuries at his home in the early hours of Monday morning.
Prime Minister Pierre, responsible for national security, pledged to continue providing resources to the police to allow them to carry out their duties.
He also wrote that the commitment of the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (RSLPF) executive to work together and provide leadership to officers who serve the country daily encouraged him.
Saint Lucia’s new Acting Police Commissioner, Verne Garde, succeeds Crusita Descartes-Pelius, whose tenure as the Island’s first female top cop ended on Saturday.
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Pierre, what resources are you going to provide which you have not provided as yet?. Don’t just say things for saying sake just to make a point. Police should have had all the resources they need to do their job a long time ago. I get a sense you are just making sound bytes for sound bytes sake. What is the government’s plan to tackle the crime issue on the island. You are the minister responsible for national security and you should step up and come up with a comprehensive plan to move forward. This crime situation requires more than mere day to day resources. What is your plan Prime Minister? You have sat back saying nothing much with all these senseless loss of lives. Not a word of significance coming from you.
A malaise has befallen upon the security apparatus. Constant changes in leadership generates instability, redirection and general confusion; characteristics dangerous for morale and cohesion in any force. The blurred message is that none in the police executive is good enough for the helm. If an outsider is brought to lead, why were so many members in the executive kept in service? Many of them should have received involuntary retirement walking papers a few months ago. It’s doubtful that the executive will throw their full weight behind Mr. Garde. However, they will talk the talk. It’s another struggle in the making. Remember a certain Infrastructure minister? There will be bitterness.
I always love when my security minister uses words like, “plea” “urge” during a horrendous crime wave. That man has no solutions. His security awareness is akin to someone fishing for whales in the mangrove. When will this man address the nation with solutions to combat the crime scourge?
You’ll always on government backs what plans they have for crime. No government can solve crime. You can implement the most draconian of measures, crime will still take place. When individuals want to get rich fast and chose the route of illegality, that’s the end result. Stop politicising crime.