BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - AFTER weeks of discussion, the Ministry of National Security has confirmed sending a contingent of law enforcement officers as part of the Regional Security System (RSS) to assist their counterparts in St. Lucia in their fight against crime.
Since March, St. Lucia has seen an uptick in the number of homicides and gun violence plaguing its streets with a number of retaliatory killings, which prompted Prime Minister Phillip J. Pierre to seek assistance from the RSS tocombat the violence.
The law enforcement officers from St. Kitts and Nevis have now merged with their counterparts from the other member states of the RSS who were already deployed to St. Lucia.
“The Ministry of National Security (MNS) has sent twelve law enforcement operatives to St. Lucia (SLU). The contingent is comprised of six soldiers from the St. Kitts and Nevis Defence Force (SKNDF) ranking from Private to Sergeant, and six officers from the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force (RSCNPF) ranking from Constable to Sergeant,” the National Security Ministry said in its statement.
The contingent was deployed to join the peace-keeping efforts in SLU following the Regional Security Systems’ (RSS) request for assistance in this regard, the Ministry said.
The contingent’s deployment is scheduled to last for three weeks, and while on the island the members will be sworn-in as Special Constables and function under the command of SLU’s Commissioner of Police to assist with combatting criminal activity.
Their duties will include, among other things, surveillance, foot and mobile patrols, and warrant execution.
Over the years, regional governments, including St. Kitts and Nevis, have been utilizing the services of the RSS in their crime fighting efforts.
