Castries Mayor Geraldine Lendor-Gabriel is attempting to take a bite out of crime in the city with the installation of a crime hotline to alert the constabulary of criminal activities.
Mayor Lendor-Gabriel yesterday told THE VOICE that the hotline currently is in the testing phase and has already produced results.
“It is currently operational (and) we are working with private sector persons on that. We have tested it in a certain section of the city and it’s actually working so we’ll have to roll it out further. We’ll have to do the assessment of it, but we’ve been able to nab persons in the act… it’s just a matter of building up on that and letting others know about it. We’re happy with what’s coming out of it,” Lendor-Gabriel said.
She also said that closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras have been installed throughout the city. Lendor-Gabriel indicated that with the help of business owners, criminals can be brought to justice.
The Castries Constituency Council (CCC), she said, has CCTV cameras in many locations.
“We’re trying to work with the private sector to do the installation of cameras and they’ve been sharing footage with us as well. It is part of the strategy, getting business persons to install more cameras and utilizing the information from those cameras,” the mayor explained, adding that there are enough business places (with cameras) in Castries “to cover the entire city.”
Further, she noted, “we’ve installed new lights in ‘The Gardens’ (and) we were able to put lights (by) the Bexon bus stop and in various areas. We’ve done several walk-throughs with LUCELEC on lighting in the city; they’ve come on board quite well. Of course, supply chain is affecting us, but we are moving in relation to that so we’re looking at all the factors.”
With respect to the city police, she said the CCC has been able to put a certain level of medical insurance in place for them. The CCC is also looking at other types of insurance for the members of its constabulary.
“I think we’re just about to close off. (Also), fixing up the station where they work, (and) uniforms. Uniforms (are) very important because when you’re uniformed it means people are aware that you are working in the interest of the state so we want to ensure people are in uniform,” she said.
The mayor revealed that her department is working on “quite a few things” stating that “we just have to put the different pieces in place and then we should be able to roll out everything comprehensively.”