Chastanet Urges Saint Lucians To Unite Against Crime, Violence

In a New Year’s address, Opposition leader Allen Chastanet on Sunday night urged Saint Lucians to unite against crime and violence amid a sharp spike in homicides. Hours before the United Workers Party (UWP) leader’s address aired, police announced a probe into the Island’s two most recent fatal shootings. Saint Lucia has so far recorded ten homicides in 2024. Last year, there were 75. Chastanet said last year’s crime spike was unprecedented, causing widespread fear and panic. He asserted that Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre ‘pathetically’ sought to ‘justify a second year of seventy-five murders’ by claiming the rate declined in the second half of the year. “We can all see the fallacy of this argument,” Chastanet declared. Regarding the homicides this year, the former Prime Minister said one could only imagine what the death toll of young men would be by year-end. He lamented that instead of implementing hard-hitting measures, Prime Minister Pierre continues to make ‘silly excuses’, including that he is not a police officer. Chastanet also said Pierre has failed to understand the importance of his Cabinet being free of corruption or criminal activities. “This trend is also apparent in many appointments of persons within the echelons...