CRIMINAL STUDENTS – Police Show Off Weapons And Drugs Seized

TED King, the police corporal in charge of the northern section of the Community Relations Branch is calling for crime prevention programmes targeting secondary school students following an astounding amount of weapons and illegal drugs seized from them last year and the year before.

Warning that offenders and victims of crime are getting younger at an alarming rate, which should be a cause for concern to the nation, he promised that his department will continue its pro-active approach in educating the youth through school presentations, organizing crime prevention programmes and conducting professional random school searches and interventions.

“The number of students found in possession of illegal drugs, mainly cannabis is alarming including students of Form One,” King said.

King’s warning comes on the heels of several shooting incidents over the past six days involving young men, including a fifth form student who was shot dead in Bois Den, Jacmel last Sunday.

“The need for crime prevention programmes are of paramount importance to the Royal St. Lucia Police Force. Therefore as a result the department will soon launch one of its crime prevention programmes dubbed School Crime watch in Educational District Five,” King said.

An attempt is now underway by government to launch programmes that could turn youths from living a life of crime.

Prime Minister Allen Chastanet on Monday met with the Ministries of Social Transformation, Youth and Sports and Home Affairs to chart a course he hoped will steer young people away from criminal acts.

The quantity of weapons and drugs seized by police officers primarily from secondary school students is testimony to the high rate of criminality that exists among the youthful population, as expressed by King.

On display at the offices of the Community Relations Branch yesterday were 47 knives including penknives. One of those knives measured 12 inches in length. There were three knives measuring seven and a half inches, two measuring seven inches and two measuring six inches. Also on display were five cutlasses, 46 pairs of scissors, nine screw drivers and 14 lighters.

Of the illegal drugs seized were 16 marijuana sticks, nine ten-bag portions, 13 five-bag portions, 104 marijuana foil wraps, three foil wraps containing crack cocaine and various marijuana portions which amounted to five pounds.

“The display witnessed here today is no child’s play, it is indeed a reflection of what some of our young people get themselves involved in,” King said.

According to him, most of the items seized were from secondary school students from Educational Districts one to four, meaning secondary school students from the north of the island to Anse la Raye.

The seizures were as a result of professional random searches conducted by officers of the Community Relations Branch in 2015 and 2016. Some of the items recovered were also from altercations between students which occurred either on school premises or on the streets in and around the Castries basin.

King said the Royal St. Lucia Police Force will be sending out a strong message to students and young people this year that his department has taken a zero tolerance approach to criminality and that students who commit any serious crime will be prosecuted. He wants students to understand that there is no situation that could be resolved through violence.

“In fact the effects of violence can be devastating to individual students, specific learning environments and the society. The department and by extension the police force will leave no stone unturned in pursuing individuals who introduce our students the sale and or use of illegal drugs or other acts of criminality,” King said.

He added that his department will ensure that young people are not taken down the path of destruction or to a point of no return.