As Saint Lucia prepares for what could be its busiest cruise season yet, officials are quietly stepping up security in Castries, with increased police presence and expanded surveillance aimed at ensuring a safe and welcoming environment.
Tourism Minister Dr Ernest Hilaire on Monday projected “record” port visits in the months ahead, prompting city officials to enhance public spaces and tighten safety measures.
Castries Central MP Richard Frederick confirmed that all city police will be on duty during peak cruise days, and 200 surveillance cameras will soon be distributed to businesses as part of a broader monitoring effort.
The initiative, supported by the Castries City Council and the Saint Lucia Industrial and Small Business Association (SLISBA), is designed to deter crime and reassure both visitors and residents as the capital braces for heightened activity.
“We need to ensure that whatever we provide to visitors and obviously locals alike is top notch… So all in all, the government is creating a holistic environment to actually ensure that when visitors come here, they spend some money,” Frederick told a pre-cabinet news briefing.
Moreover, in response to the rise in crime observed in the capital during July and August, and with increased activity expected during the cruise season, he announced increased security measures.
“We want to ensure that Castries is flooded with police officers during the times we have heavy cruise passenger arrivals… all leave will be cancelled on days we are heavily laden with cruise arrivals.”
Regarding the surveillance cameras, Frederick said, “The cameras are already with us. It is something I said I wanted done to ensure security in the city,” he explained. “The sad thing is, you may ask business owners to put cameras, they may want to do it for their personal security, but it’s a different thing when it is done for the security of the city.”
The cameras will be linked into a shared surveillance system, making it easier for the relevant authorities to act swiftly on any criminal activity.
“We will have access to whatever that camera picks up to ensure that those perpetrators, those persons who believe that life is better in the crime vein, we will send a strong message to them that our degree of tolerance is running out very, very quickly,” the MP said.
This is all talk. You cannot expect a different result when you continue to do the same things over and over. An increase of police presence, a few cameras here and there have not resolved the problem in the past. What makes you believe this year the result will be any different.
We need ideas, we need new policies if we are to create a tourism compliant environment. I do not expect anything to change with the same approach. The only change is the year and nothing else.