Police Plan To Act Immediately On Missing Persons Reports

Though it is not a policy just yet, the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (RSLPF) has announced that officers will no longer wait 24 to 48 hours before launching an investigation into missing persons reports. The search for missing individuals will begin as soon as the reports are made. For years, the standard procedure required police to wait before launching formal searches or investigations into missing persons. However, this practice has faced growing criticism, especially in cases where timely intervention could have prevented harm. Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Luke Defreitas explained the rationale behind the change: “What we’ve embarked on recently is to start an immediate investigation when these reports are made. You would have heard in the past some horror stories of the police saying to the public, we have to wait 24 hours or 48 hours before we launch. We’ve basically now… advised to cease this practice, especially having listened to the circumstances leading to the alleged disappearances.” Defreitas acknowledged that many of the missing persons cases involve young people, and that some are connected to personal struggles, such as difficult family situations. “A lot of the time, these cases involve young persons, and sadly, many of...