Prime Minister Philip J Pierre addressed a pre-cabinet press briefing upon his return to Saint Lucia from a CARICOM Crime Summit in Guyana, highlighting the need for a joint regional response to criminal activity.
The Prime Minister outlined the issues the region presently faces with crime and violence and their impact on other sectors.
He also stressed the importance of swift and collective action by CARICOM member states as a means of curbing the level of crime in the region as a whole.
In this regard, he indicated that member states plan to implement a CARICOM-wide arrest warrant, which would allow police to arrest offenders overseas.
Highlighting the controversial issue of the granting of bail to offenders in possession of firearms, Pierre said the justice system needs to be reviewed alongside judicial officials.
“Whether the judiciary was in line with what’s happening in the society. So the discussion was on the bail requirements, because a big complaint is that sometimes bail is too lenient. That’s a discussion,” he said.
According to Pierre, crime is caused by many societal factors like family life, employment opportunities, and mental illness – all of which must be addressed by governments.
“How are we sure that there’s not some level of correlation between mental wellness and crime? Parenthood, the role of the family, whether the family organization that we are following is the correct one. You understand? So it’s multifaceted,” he said to the press on Monday afternoon.
Just recently, Opposition Leader Allen Chastanet called on the government to take a tougher stance on crime and violence in the country.
Following the brazen November 18th fatal shooting at Derek Walcott Square, Chastanet noted that deviance has become widespread. “People are killing people in this country indiscriminately without fear of any concern. You ride on a motorbike into the square and shoot up people,” Chastanet stated.
On Monday, November 25th, a joint exercise between the CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) and the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force resulted in the destruction of over 300 firearms. The intention is to limit criminals’ access to weapons as one of the means of combating the crime scourge.
