The St. Lucia government said Monday that ‘all options are open” as it responds to the criminal activities on the island highlighted by the weekend murder of an off-duty police officer and the hospitalisation of another law enforcement official.
“We have to do whatever we can to avoid the scourge of violence afflicting our country,” Prime Minister Phillip J. Pierre told reporters as his Cabinet meet on Monday for its weekly meeting.
Constable Nathan Timaitre was shot and killed last Saturday, while his colleague Constable Isaac Calvin sustained injuries and remains in a critical condition after they were fired upon by gunmen as they provided escort for a cash transaction at Bocage on the outskirts of the capital, Castries.
“All options are open,” Prime Minister Pierre said, when asked about the possibility of international assistance, describing the Bocage incident as a sad day for the island.
Pierre said that the crime situation has been affecting St. Lucia for a long time and warned against playing the blame game.
He said while the government, within its fiscal ability, provides resources to the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (RSLPF), it’s for the police force to develop strategic responses to crime.
“We have to be calm, we have to be resolute, we have to fight the criminality together.
Criminality at all levels, at the level of corruption, at the level of situations where people do not speak the truth – we have to get all these situations under control.
Criminality in all aspects is horrible and what’s happening now where there’s a loss of life and property cannot be tolerated,” Pierre told reporters, urging the population to get together to help deal with the situation.
Source-CMC
