Police Commissioner Milton Desir announced today that as of Friday, March 4th, 2022, after consultation with the Director of Public Prosecutions he issued letters of clearance to five officers in the Operation Restore Confidence matter.
Commissioner Desir informed the nation that all investigations had been completed and there was no criminal liability attributed to the officer’s involvement in the said operation.
About a decade ago, twelve suspected criminals were killed during a police exercise called Operation Restore Confidence.
Human Rights organizations and relatives of the victims claimed that the deceased had been deliberately targeted by police for execution. The claim attracted the attention of the United States authorities who promptly withdrew support and training assistance to the St Lucia Police Force until the allegations were thoroughly investigated.
The St Lucia Government secured the services of a team from the Jamaica Constabulary Force through the CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) to conduct the investigation.
The news of clearance to the five officers significantly clears the ten-year-old dark cloud of uncertainty and breaks the chains of restraint on the men and women of the police force as the island grapples with an out-of-control gun problem that recently claimed the life of one of their own and has another in hospital.