The Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (RSLPF) launched a new data management system this week, that will significantly improve its capabilities.
The system, which provides seamless access to data across the organization, is able to capture crime-related information, traffic data, and human resource details, according to the RSLPF.
The developer, Paul Ernest, introduced the concept at a training session on Monday where 30 participants benefited from his expertise.
“From your device, from your desktop, you can access all criminal data on the island of Saint Lucia, whether it happens at a police station, or it’s at the Bordelais Facility, or wherever else it may be. Once it’s crime-related, it’s going to be accessible from your desk. And so by concentrating all police activities, all law enforcement, and all criminal activities in one area, we can now collaborate, we can share, we can all work against the same concepts, so we can realize a better law enforcement environment within the country,” he said.
Acting Police Commissioner Verne Garde, who spoke at the launch said “We have laced that database with an analytical tool that can tell us and answer the questions that we want answered. No longer do we have to guess when we have a picture of an individual and we need to find the antecedents. This is where the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force is today. I remember around the 3rd of September that I made this promise to the people of Saint Lucia that by the end of three months, I will cause the amalgamation of all stations, units and departments through a computer system and a database that will realize analytical capabilities.”
According to him, “We need to see how many persons, for example, with an oval face, with a broad nose, with a protruding forehead, that is male, that may have the propensity to commit rape. And at the clip of the fingertip we will be able to decipher some of the suspects moving forward.”
This system marks a significant stride in the RSLPF’s efforts towards crime reduction.
Assistant Commissioner of Police, Luke De Freitas, who has responsibility for the Central Division of the RSLPF, spoke on the need for the database, noting that the data management system “also affords us the opportunity to share with sister agencies information that would also be critical to them and that we as well can receive information from them that would have made our work a lot easier.”
Crime Prevention Minister Jeremiah Norbert lauded the initiative, telling reporters “I know what the system will also do, it creates that type of information sharing where one police officer no longer (has) to go into a physical book to get a file, especially when you have writ warrants, commitment warrants,” etcetera.
“Right now when all these things are on a computer by the click of a finger within seconds you’re able to access certain files,” he noted.