Officers Withdrawn From Frontline Duty, Dash and Body Cams to Roll Out in August

The Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (RSLPF) has withdrawn four officers from frontline duties after viral videos showed aggressive encounters between police and civilians that reignited debates over accountability and use of force. It also announced plans to deploy body-worn cameras across the force beginning in August.

The developments have the full support of the Saint Lucia Bar Association, whose president, Ramon Raveneau, told St Lucia Times on Friday that it was “about time”.

Superintendent Troy Lamontagne, head of the RSLPF’s Department of Road Safety and Traffic Investigations, confirmed the disciplinary action at a press briefing on Thursday.

“The four officers from the two incidents have been withdrawn from operational duties,” he said, adding that some are at home. “Counselling has been offered, and they are in the process of completing their reports.”

The first video shows two officers dragging a man with disabilities across a sidewalk on Chaussee Road before shoving him into a police vehicle. The second captures a heated exchange between police and attorney Al Elliot during what appeared to be a traffic stop.

The footage has drawn sharp criticism from the public and legal professionals, with Raveneau calling for urgent reforms. He warned that without recorded evidence, such cases risk being buried.

Police confirm that changes are already underway. Assistant Commissioner of Police Dr Mashema Sealy announced that body and dash cameras will be rolled out within weeks.

“We’ve just completed our operating procedures for the use of body and dash cams,” Sealy said. “Over $800 000 was spent on equipment… which we will be using from August. And we look forward to seeing positive results.”

Raveneau welcomed the announcement.

“Let me just say that we are elated. It was about time,” he told St Lucia Times. “Insofar as it is appropriate for the Bar Association to do so, on behalf of every single Saint Lucian, we thank the powers that be for caring about injecting some measure of transparency into our interaction with the police.”

Raveneau underscored the need for oversight and accountability, emphasising that law enforcement officers are public servants, not a “force unto themselves.”

He said professionalism, integrity, and service should be the pillars of all police operations.

“This is not the Wild West, and they are not cowboys,” he remarked, adding that body and dash cams must remain active during interactions with the public, with consequences for officers who switch them off. “It’s our equipment, and we look forward to seeing how it improves the service provided by the RSLPF.”

Meanwhile, the RSLPF says force-wide training aimed at preventing escalated encounters will begin after the upcoming visit of Nigerian President Bola Tinubu and the Carnival season.

“The areas of training being considered heavily [concern] customer relations and use of force and general professional conduct whilst on the job,” Lamontagne said. The training will not be limited to traffic cops, he said.

Superintendent Lamontagne acknowledged shortcomings in the force but insisted the majority of officers do not set out to harm.

“We have to appreciate that no police officer leaves their residence to come to work and behave poorly,” he said. “What is lacking is the focus on being professional, being courteous to persons and respecting every single person that we engage and that is something that every police officer, every member of the public needs to keep in mind.”

He urged his colleagues to take a more measured approach in the field: “We need not be quarrelsome in our interactions with the public. Sometimes the interaction is educational more than anything else. It’s the officer’s discretion if he or she needs to take it further, take the matter before the court, issuance of a ticket, lodge a complaint where summons will be issued, or a formal arrest procedure.”

Internal investigations into the two incidents are ongoing.