Pierre Pledges Full Support For Garde’s Anti-Crime Plan

On Monday, Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre confirmed that he had read the strategic anti-crime plan presented by Acting Police Commissioner Verne Garde and promised he would fully support it. Pierre, responsible for National Security, spoke on the margins of a House of Assembly sitting. On September 2, Verne Garde began a six-month contract as the nation’s acting top cop amid a surge in homicides, much of them involving the use of illegal guns in suspected gang activity. At his first news conference, Garde vowed not to allow Saint Lucia to be overrun by persons in conflict with the law. “I have read it. I am waiting on him to implement it. I will give all the support that the country can afford,” Prime Minister Pierre stated regarding the Acting Police Commissioner’s strategic anti-crime plan. Pierre reiterated that he was not satisfied with the country’s homicide spike. However, he noted that the entire region was experiencing the same problem. “The entire region is plagued by these gangs – the entire region and I have called on everyone – let us work together to find a solution because the entire region is plagued by gun violence,” Pierre told reporters. The article...