Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre and Crime Prevention Minister Jeremiah Nobert issued stern condemnations Monday following a surge in gun violence that claimed at least ten lives in just eight days, one of the deadliest stretches this year.
Norbert also served notice that the network of organised crime in Saint Lucia will be dismantled “by any means necessary”.
Expressing deep concern over the widening reach of violent crime, Nobert highlighted a troubling shift in homicide patterns.
“Whereas once upon a time, when we had a series of homicides, they were concentrated in one location, right now we have a situation whereby the geographical spread of these homicides; there’s no geographical boundaries,” he told reporters.
Recent killings have struck communities from Soufriere in the southwest to Dennery in the east, with incidents also reported in Castries and Monchy, straining the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force’s (RSLPF) “limited resources”.
Pierre was unequivocal in his rebuke of the violence: “I condemn all acts of violence, I condemn the fact that we have been losing young lives, productive lives. I have absolutely no room for criminal behaviour; there’s no excuse for criminality.”
He vowed full operational support for law enforcement, stressing that officers must “use all legal means while observing the rights of individuals” to combat crime.
Pierre also lamented the senseless brutality among perpetrators, many of whom share close ties.
“What would cause you to go to school with somebody, to know his mother, to know his sister, and all of a sudden, because you are in a gang, you put a gun and shoot him in his head?” he asked.
Beyond policing, he emphasised social interventions, noting the recent assignment of a criminology-trained RSLPF officer to the crime prevention ministry to coordinate anti-violence programmes.
Nobert, however, framed the crisis as systemic, with organised crime networks now entrenched across society.
“We have credible information and we are going to be dealing with it …what we realise now is the situation where we have organised crime, where we have different people from different strata of society involved and it has become a network that we must dismantle by any means necessary,” he declared.
The minister also took aim at the judiciary, arguing that court rulings often undermine legislative efforts, such as tougher penalties for firearm offences, taken in the public interest.
“A judiciary has a responsibility to ensure that what happens in the courtroom aligns with the action that we take in the Halls of Parliament. Sometimes it is not always the case,” he said.
Despite his criticism, Nobert reaffirmed respect for judicial independence, insisting the government remains “dedicated to restoring citizen safety”.
