Pierre: Police Have All Legal Powers To Deal With Crime

Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre told reporters on Monday that the police have all the legal powers to combat crime. Pierre, responsible for National Security, spoke amid a sharp spike in deadly violence, claiming ten lives so far in 2024. “I have said publicly, and I will say it again, that the police have all the powers within the law to bring an end to the situation. All the powers within the law and the observance of human rights of individuals,” he asserted. “We have given the police more resources than the last government gave for the last five years in power,” observed Pierre, whose Saint Lucia Labour Party (SLP) surged into office by a landslide after the July 26, 2021 general elections. The Castries East MP also observed that his government had given the police more independence and increased their numbers. “We are increasing their physical space,” he told reporters at Monday’s regular pre-cabinet briefing. In addition, the Prime Minister said the government was doing what it could. He recalled that last week, the police received two vehicles, and this week, they will get two more. Pierre disclosed that his government had given the police drones. “I have just...