THE executive arm of the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force yesterday made an unprecedented move by releasing figures on matters of indiscipline that were adjudicated amongst policemen and women for the year just ended.
This extraordinary move was underscored by acting Commissioner Errol Alexander who, prior to releasing the figures, said that executive members deliberated amongst themselves whether or not to put the figures in the public domain.
The final to release the figures was to show off the department as a disciplinary body that will not tolerate indiscipline among its members, noted Alexander and to remove from public mind the untruth that nothing is being done to police officers who engage in acts of indiscipline.
A total of 86 cases were heard in 2015.
Twenty-six officers were hauled before the police internal court for being absent without leave. Out of that number eight were convicted. The rest of the cases were withdrawn.
Forty-nine cases of Discreditable Conduct were heard. Twenty of those cases were dismissed and nine withdrawn. Twenty officers were convicted in that category.
In the area of Corrupt Practices there were three cases all of them being dismissed.
With respect to Neglect of Duty, five cases made it to the police internal tribunal with four of them gaining convictions. One was dismissed.
Under Breach of Force Orders one case was heard with a conviction being secured.
One officer was charged with Disobedience to Orders and was convicted while another was convicted of Incurring Debt.
The fines for the above offences range from a deduction in pay, to dismissals or demotions.
The year 2015 also saw the six police officers being arrested and suspended from their duties with charges ranging from conspiracy to stealing by means of employment.
