Disturbing videos of police officers engaging in aggressive, and at times threatening, encounters with civilians have reignited demands for accountability, including the immediate adoption of body cameras and a shift in policing culture.
The footage has cast a harsh spotlight on the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (RSLPF), raising urgent questions about whether its officers can protect the public without resorting to intimidation.
One of the most widely shared clips this week shows a tense standoff between two officers and attorney Al Elliot. In the footage, an officer orders Elliot to turn off his vehicle. When he refuses, the officer shoves his hand inside the car, escalating the confrontation. Another officer threatens to shoot him. The exchange grows more heated when Elliot is questioned about his windscreen tint. After he insists it isn’t tinted, the officer retorts, “Okay, we will impound your vehicle and find out.”
In a separate video, recorded on Chaussee Road in Castries, two officers are seen dragging and shoving a man who appears to have a physical impairment into a police vehicle. The optics of both incidents have sparked public outrage, flooding social media with frustration. While the full context remains unclear, the damage to public trust is undeniable.
Saint Lucia Bar Association President Ramón Raveneau condemned the officers’ conduct and challenged the force’s institutional culture.
“That is of concern, not just because Al Elliot is an attorney but because he’s a citizen of Saint Lucia,” Raveneau told St Lucia Times. “And if you are going to treat an attorney, who is an officer of the court, that way, how the hell are you going to treat a normal everyday Saint Lucian just going about their business?”
He called for sweeping reforms, including a shift in attitude: “Somewhere along the line, the police began to think that they had parental authority over us. Police are civil servants. You can’t speak to me how you want because you have on our uniform and our shoes and you carry our firearms in our vehicles.”
His strongest demand was for body cameras: “I promise you if that recording hadn’t seen the light of day, it would have been a completely different story. The truth of that interaction would not have come out.” The technology, widely used abroad during stops and arrests, is seen as a tool to enhance transparency, accountability, and trust protecting both officers and civilians.
‘Systemic failures driving confrontations’
Even before these videos surfaced, journalist Dale Elliot had raised alarms about traffic stops and broader dysfunction in enforcement. He argues that poor coordination between the Road Safety Department and the Transport Division, along with a broken ticketing and registration system, fuels avoidable conflicts.
Elliot, a cousin of Al, recounted having two insured, properly registered vehicles impounded. “I was advised that on presentation of the documents, the police officer should be able to use his judgement. But instead, my vehicle was impounded. Twice,” he told St Lucia Times.
He cited bureaucratic delays, poor communication and arbitrary enforcement as catalysts for escalation. “What I see happening is going to be an escalation in traffic where somebody’s rights will be trampled… and that is going to escalate into a police shooting.”
He also criticised overzealous ticketing for minor infractions, like vendors idling at markets, and alleged unlawful practices, such as officers scratching tint themselves or issuing duplicate tickets.
Commissioner’s reform push meets scepticism
The RSLPF, under Commissioner Verne Garde, has sought to modernise, rebranding its Traffic Unit and adding 45 new officers in December. “All of that is part of our plan to ensure 2025 is a different year for crime management and road safety,” Garde said. Yet public confidence remains shaky.
Superintendent Troy E. Lamontagne, head of the traffic department, acknowledged this week that the officers’ actions “deviated from police procedures and the general principles of professional conduct and human rights.” Internal investigations are ongoing. While admitting tint was not grounds for impounding Elliot’s vehicle, Lamontagne warned against “criminal intent” toward officers, cautioning: “Erase that criminal intent, lest you wish to face a lawful force that you have not heard of or seen before.”
Government breaks silence
On Wednesday, Crime Prevention Minister Jeremiah Norbert, a former officer, condemned the videos, particularly the Chaussee Road incident. “I’m not happy with what I saw…. The way the gentleman was carried, I was disappointed. Regardless of the circumstances, you treat people with dignity and professionalism,” he said. “We’ve given [the police] vehicles. We’ve given them training… Your interaction with the public is more important than the firearm you carry.”
Norbert vowed not to defend misconduct but urged citizens to pursue legal recourse if complaints go unheard.
Raveneau’s final words cut to the core: “There are fantastic police officers who cannot be paid for the value they contribute… But you also have some little boys and little girls in our uniforms who feel that they can bully us. And that is just not acceptable.”
Al Elliot declined to comment on his experience.
