LAST week, Acting Commissioner of Police Verne Garde held his second press conference since his appointment last month. During the meeting, he addressed various issues, including efforts to remove guns from the streets, the latest strategies of the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force, and his progress since taking on the role.
The Acting Commissioner’s openness in engaging with journalists is a positive sign, demonstrating his commitment to keeping Saint Lucians informed about police activities to ensure their safety. However, this effort requires collaboration.
Ensuring the safety of the state and its citizens is a two-way street. While the police are dedicated to showing citizens how to protect themselves and the lengths they will go to ensure safety in homes, streets, and social gatherings, citizens must also play their part. This partnership is crucial for reinforcing the safety net that the police are striving to create.
So, how can citizens contribute? They must be proactive in reporting criminal activities and those responsible to the police. Additionally, they should be willing to testify in court against criminals and dare to stand up against wrongdoing.
We reiterate that the citizens of Saint Lucia must collaborate with the police to ensure their safety. This means actively helping the police, not just by identifying suspects in lineups, both figuratively and literally, but by participating in the broader process of establishing, strengthening, and protecting the democratic civil order inherited from their forefathers. Helping the police is about more than just cooperation; it’s about building a safer, more secure community together.
The vast majority of us want to coexist peacefully and live in safe neighbourhoods and walk on safe streets. However, achieving this requires collaboration with the police. By working together, we can identify the root causes of crime and violence and address a wide range of issues, such as lack of social cohesion, impunity, drug trafficking, the proliferation of illegal firearms, human trafficking, and migration.
Citizens must also collaborate with the government by supporting the development of national policies, strengthening local and state institutions, helping the government to better coordinate security, improving the capacity of police to prevent violence, and training judges and court officials. Those who are invested in securing their communities will take practical actions, such as keeping their children occupied and off the streets, ensuring street lights are functioning to reduce violence, reporting criminal activities to the police, and showing respect to one another.
On the other hand, the police must demonstrate their commitment to enforcing the mandate given to them by the state impartially.
We understand the challenges the police face in combating crime. With the country already recording over 60 homicides this year and solving 20 of them, the police have been dealing with extensive issues. However, the police need not lose hope if citizens are serious about eradicating crime in their neighbourhoods. This cooperation between police and citizens could lead to new and effective ways to mitigate crime in Saint Lucia.
Historically, crime-fighting has been primarily the responsibility of the police, especially for crimes related to drug trafficking, gang-related activities, domestic violence, gun-related crimes, and more. However, with citizens working with the police to reduce crime on the island, we may see initiatives that can significantly reduce crime.
The state, in turn, must be prepared to protect those who speak out against crime and its perpetrators and design a strategy that protects citizens who do assist in the fight against crime. Crime can be dealt a severe blow only if police and citizens join hands to fight it.