RSLPF Responds To Death Threats Against Officers

The Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (RSLPF) has vowed to relentlessly pursue individuals making death threats against officers. According to the police, the threats followed recent police action against crime. On Monday, a leaked internal police alert indicated that threats followed Saturday’s police-involved fatal shooting of Maxwell Leo, alias ‘Hennessy’, whom law enforcement described as a ‘notorious criminal.’ Along with photos of alleged gang members, the leaked document said there was a strong possibility that members of a named gang would retaliate for Leo’s death. In a statement Tuesday, Assistant Commissioner of Police Luke Defreitas said some of those brazen pronouncements made over multiple online platforms included threats of targeted attacks against specific members of the force. Defreitas explained that the RSLPF respects citizens’ rights to comment on matters of national interest. However, the senior police officer noted that language inciting or facilitating violence or otherwise constituting credible threats to members of the RSLPF or any other person is unlawful. “The seriousness of these threats, the context, and the perceived intent of those responsible are factors considered in determining whether such matters are pursued summarily or indictably,” Defreitas explained. He advised citizens to be cautious and responsible in online communication...