Law enforcement in Saint Lucia

Royal Saint Lucia Police Force
Abbreviation RSLPF
Agency overview
Formed January 4, 1999
Employees 1,045
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdiction Saint Lucia
Size 238 square miles (620 km2)
Population 175,000

Agency executive
Facilities
Stations 14
Website
Official Website

Law enforcement in Saint Lucia is the responsibility of the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (RSLPF),[1] which was founded in 1834.[2]

Organisation

The Commissioner of Police is Severin Moncherry,[3] who commands 957 police officers and civilian employees,[4] in 14 police stations, who serve a resident population of 175,000.[5] Each department or station is headed by a Superintendent of Police and an Assistant Superintendent of Police.

The RSLPF maintains two paramilitary sub organizations; the Special Service Unit, and the Coast Guard, both units are responsible for internal security.[6] Defense is the responsibility of Regional Security System.[7] There is only one non-policing organization under the command of the RSLPF, the Immigration Service.[8]

Police Band

The Royal St Lucia Police Band.

The Royal Saint Lucia Police Force includes The Royal Saint Lucia Police Band also known as The Band of the Royal St Lucia Police Force, which is a specialized department within the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force. The Band consists of Police Constables (PC and SPC), as well as Trainee and Supervising ranks who specialize in Music and Arts.

Band members with the rank of Police Constable (PC and SPC) or above are to conduct the duties and responsibilities of a State Commissioned Police Officer (Law Enforcement) with the exception of Band Cadets and Band Apprentices, both trainee ranks, whom are not sworn by oath.

Policing

In 2015 the Saint Lucia police stated that they were under-resourced, with not enough police officers to keep up with the crime case load.[9]

Alleged Human Rights Abuse Conspiracy

The Saint Lucia police have been accused of keeping death lists and carrying out extrajudicial killings of suspected criminals in an attempt to make St Lucia more attractive to tourists.[10] Shootings by police took place in 2010 and 2011 during a security drive called Operation Restore Confidence, which was aimed at reducing violent crime and boosting tourism following the murder of a British tourist.[10]

A report by independent investigators from the Jamaica Constabulary Force in 2015 claimed that officers from the Royal St. Lucia Police Force staged a dozen killings of suspected criminals.[10] The police then reported the killings as murders committed by unknown assailants, planting weapons at the scene.[10] In August 2013 the US government suspended assistance to the Saint Lucia police in light of rumours of the extrajudicial killings.[10]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "ROYAL SAINT LUCIA POLICE FORCE". Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  2. ↑ "St Lucia / Americas / Member countries / Internet / Home - INTERPOL". Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  3. ↑ Royal Saint Lucia Police. Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  4. ↑ "Royal Saint Lucia Police Force". Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  5. ↑ "St Lucia / Americas / Member countries / Internet / Home - INTERPOL". Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  6. ↑ "Royal Saint Lucia Police Force". Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  7. ↑ US Department of State entry Retrieved 4 June 2007
  8. ↑ "HISTORY". Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  9. ↑ "CRIME SURGE - St. Lucia News From The Voice St. Lucia". 14 April 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 "St. Lucia police kept death lists, killed suspected criminals to keep island tourist-friendly: report". Retrieved 20 July 2016.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.