WITH 27 homicides, including a fatal police shooting, having been recorded so far for the year, Saint Lucia Police are working towards zero homicides for the rest of the year, Assistant Commissioner of Police responsible for Crime and Intelligence Management, Wayne Charlery, has said.
Charlery spoke during a news conference Monday to update members of the media on Saturday’s double homicide in Desrameaux, Gros Islet.
Thirteen year old Rohan Greg Louison and his nineteen year old cousin, Callis Benjamin, were shot dead in the community.
Just recently, Police Commissioner Severin Moncherry had said that his aim was to keep homicides this year to under 25.
Asked by a reporter whether Moncherry spoke out of turn, ACP Charlery responded by saying that at any given time period, law enforcers aim for zero homicides.
” As we speak right now we are working towards zero homicides for the rest of the year. When we begin the year we work towards having no homicides whatsoever.”
Charlery told reporters any death is tragic enough.
But he asserted that an unnatural and violent demise is particularly so.
” We aim to have zero homicides and this is very achievable with the help of the public,” the senior police officer declared.
He explained that guns and knives on their own, do not kill people.
“It is people who commit crimes, so with the help of the public and their support we can certainly achieve no homicides for any given year or period,” Charlery stated, adding that the police are gearing their efforts to contain violent crime in particular.
With regard to Saturday’s double homicide, the police official disclosed that it is too early to say whether it was gang related.
The ACP said that investigations were in the preliminary stages and the media would be updated in due course.
He did however, confirm that an off duty police officer was on the scene.
Asked whether the officer intervened or tried to arrest the shooter or a suspect, Charlery said if he provided an answer it would ‘go directly into the investigations we are conducting.”
He revealed that the police are being guided and advised by the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and could not speak to the specifics of the case.
Nevertheless, Charlery said that no suspects have been arrested.
“We had a person of interest who assisted with investigations and having assisted us he was free to go. He assisted us in our investigation and having rendered assistance as a good citizen of Saint Lucia he was free to go.”