WITH the Calypso Finals set to kick off tonight, followed by Soca Monarch finals tomorrow night, J’Ouvert right after and the Parade of the Bands, the season may very well be one of the toughest for the Royal St. Lucia Police Force.
The change of venue for the events — from the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground to the Sab Playing Field — presents a tougher challenge for law enforcement.
However, the police say they will not make the venue change an issue. They have already put a plan in place to deal with the tougher location and intend to carry that plan all the way through to the end of the season next Tuesday.
When Events Company of St. Lucia, organizers of Carnival, changed venues for reasons yet to be told, the police force raised objection, claiming that the stadium was a better location for security and traffic purposes.
Dorian O’Brian is the police representative on Events Company of St. Lucia. He told reporters that when the venue change came up, he indicated from the start that the stadium was a better venue for reasons mentioned earlier.
“I indicated from the start that the Daren Sammy Stadium was a better location, security and traffic-wise. However, there are certain things that are not within my purview. So when it came to the security of the new location, from a security standpoint, I would have preferred Daren Sammy Stadium. But now that we have the Sab Playing Field, we have put our security plan in place to work the Sab,” O’Brian said.
“I will not make the Sab an issue even though it is a bit more difficult to work. What you have to do now is to plan for that location and that’s what we have done,” he added.
Acting Police Commissioner Milton Desir echoed O’Brian’s confidence in the police’s ability to effectively work the Sab Playing Field.
“Yes, the police can handle it,” Desir said. “We will enforce every law that is in existence.”
Vehicular traffic to the Sab Playing Field has already been interrupted from as early as Thursday afternoon for the hosting of the King and Queen of the Bands.
“There will be a no entry policy into the Sab Playing Field area from 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. A no entry sign will be placed next to the Fisheries Complex. Traffic leaving the City of Castries will be diverted into Sans Souci. Traffic from the north heading south will be diverted from the Vigie roundabout through La Clery into the city,” O’Brian said.
