Journalists and senior members of the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (RSLPF) had tense exchanges on Wednesday as reporters questioned the force about its handling of the late Joy St Omer’s case and her family’s call for an independent inquiry.
The questioning came one day after St Omer’s family announced that it had petitioned the Governor General to set up a commission of inquiry into the systems and institutions that handled her repeated requests for help before her death.
At the press conference, Acting Superintendent Annanthar Wilson, head of the Central Division, acknowledged the family’s concerns and said the RSLPF respects their right to call for reforms.
“I extend my sincere condolences to the family of the late Joy St Omer,” Wilson said. “I acknowledge the concerns raised by the family and I respect the right of the family to advocate for reforms and for the call for a Commission of Inquiry.”
Wilson said the police do not have the authority to set up an inquiry like this.
“Under the Commissions of Inquiry Act of Saint Lucia, the authority to establish a commission rests with the Governor General,” she explained.
Wilson said the RSLPF would fully cooperate if an inquiry is established.
“Should one be appointed, we will give it our full support; we’ll cooperate and give the assistance wherever required,” she said.
Until then, Wilson said the force should not comment on whether the family’s request is justified.
However, journalists said they were more interested in whether the RSLPF had done an internal review after St Omer’s death, especially since her family said she had repeatedly asked authorities for help before she was killed.
Wilson said she could not confirm if a specific review had taken place.
She said, however, that agencies involved in the case likely talked about how to prevent similar situations and improve how police stations and units respond.
Reporters pressed further, raising concerns about the bail process for the suspect in the St Omer case. The suspect was reportedly granted bail less than a month before Joy was killed.
Journalist Dale Elliot asked why information the police prosecution reportedly gave at the Magistrate’s Court, where bail was denied, did not seem to lead to opposition to bail when the case reached the High Court.
“I cannot give a definitive answer,” Wilson responded, “but I can say that there are circumstances where lack of communication causes circumstances like that to happen.”
She quickly cautioned that she was not saying a communication breakdown happened in the St Omer case.
As journalists continued to press Wilson for answers, Police Commissioner Verne Garde stepped in.
Garde explained that police prosecutors handle some matters at the lower court level, but responsibility shifts when a matter reaches the High Court.
“When a case is elevated to the High Court, the matter is transferred to the direction of the Director of Public Prosecutions,” Garde said, adding that questions surrounding what occurred at that stage would be better directed to the DPP, Daasrean Greene.
Garde’s answer led to a tense exchange with journalists, who wanted to know who was responsible for the different positions taken on bail.
“The fallout from somebody not doing their job was a life,” Elliot said, again asking why bail was not opposed at the High Court after it was reportedly opposed at the Magistrate’s Court.
Garde repeated that the question was better suited for the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Reporters kept questioning the Commissioner, asking if the RSLPF accepted any responsibility for what happened.
Garde referred to an earlier police press conference where the force had shared a timeline of its involvement in the case.
“In my view, the police played the role that they were required to play,” he said.
When a journalist then asked directly, “Who dropped the ball?” Garde maintained that the police had provided what was required of them in relation to the matter.
“The police have provided all they needed to provide in regards to that matter,” he said.
These exchanges took place as Saint Lucia’s institutions face renewed scrutiny over how they respond to domestic and gender-based violence cases.
St Omer’s mother, Bertillia St Omer, said Tuesday that her daughter had sought assistance from several police stations, the courts and other state institutions and had a protection order in place at the time of her death.
The family has made it clear that the Commission of Inquiry they want would not look into who killed St Omer, since a criminal case is already in court. Instead, they want an independent review of whether protocols worked, how protection orders are monitored and enforced, how information is shared among police, courts, and prosecutors, and whether agencies are properly equipped to handle domestic and gender-based violence.
At the press conference, journalists also asked if officers in the Vulnerable Persons Unit receive special training to handle domestic violence cases.
Police officials replied that all officers in the force have received this training.
