An action plan, Mr.King says involves an arrangement with the West Palm Beach Police Department. The Prime Minister says officials of the West Palm Beach Department will arrive in St.Lucia soon to evaluate the local situation as well as assess the programs of the Royal St.Lucia Police Force. It is expected that the US Police officers will be able to share some of their best practices and help improve on what is being done locally. Prime Minister King says the crime level is not acceptable and he fears that St.Lucians will very soon begin to tolerate and accept such acts as part of everyday life here. Mr.King says the country can not continue for too long on that path. He has also asked that the public allow the Police to execute its strategic plan in order to get things under control. The Police Force from last weekend has embarked on a series of raids and spot checks around the Island.
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Police are said to have found a motive for Thursday night’s shooting of two men. It is believed that the incident was gang related. The shooting took place at the intersection of Grass Street and Leslie Land road around 8:45pm. Dead as a result is Paul Beharry, 37 years old of Bisee, Castries. Police say two masked men approached a group of men and fired several shots in their direction. Paul Beharry got hit in an area of his head. He was taken to the Victoria Hospital where he was later pronounced dead. Another man known as Godwin Richardson, 30 years old of Grass-Street, was also shot during the incident but he is in a stable condition at the Victoria Hospital. Police are exploring the link between the victims in this case and those of previous cases. Paul Beharry was the uncle of Sherman Gilbert. The young man who was gunned down at Bisee on January 26. He was shot while talking to a woman. At the time of his death, he had been on bail for murder. And Godwin Richardson is the brother of Prince Richardson of Grass Street who was last year shot in the leg allegedly by Kurt Bertie James, who was subsequently arrested and charged. During that incident a stray bullet had gone through the house of a 45 year old man, killing him as he sat in his living room. Police are asking anyone who may have information about Thursday’s shooting to contact the Major Crime Unit at telephone number: 4563770 or 4563758.
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Meantime,
Residents reported hearing as many as 20 gun shots in rapid succession Thursday night. In fact the sound was caught on tape at the nearby Food of Seven Vegan Restaurant where a lecture was being given; ironically on the theme of crime. The lecture is part of a Tour of Love campaign being undertaken by the Rastafarian Black Shepherd Church. The Tour of Love campaign began that Thursday night with a lecture entitled Written in Blood, Violence and Crime. As Priest Kidemmi Isaac began talking, the gunshots rang out. Priest Isaac says the incident only highlighted the desperate need for every organization and citizen to come together to discuss and find workable solutions to the crime problem. The Tour of Love campaign he says will continue with another lecture entitled, The Day of Reckoning, on Saturday at the Food of Seven Restaurant from 7pm.
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And the Community Action Program for Safety, CAPS, has launched a competition for youngsters, inviting them to create posters depicting Peace. Consultant Linwall James says the idea is to get the youth thinking about peaceful means of resolving conflict. Mr.James says an analysis of the murder cases would reveal that persons are resorting to violence as their only means of resolve. The CAPS competition is open to persons 13 to 18 years old. The deadline for receipt of posters is February 26. Winners will be announced March 15th.
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Director of Public Prosecutions, Victoria Charles Clarke has broken her silence on the case involving Ricardo Stapleton, the 24 year old who claims he killed in self defense. Stapleton fatally stabbed Jamal Ledger last month. But Stapleton says Ledger and three other masked men who were armed tried to rob him. There was wide spread condemnation of the decision to charge him with murder. The Police claim that the charge was laid upon the advice of the DPP. But the DPP who would not speak directly to the case because it is before the Courts, says it is the Police who lay charges the majority of the time although she advises sometimes, when consulted. However she would not say whether she advised that Stapleton be charged with murder. The DPP instead explained what the law provides for in cases of homicide. She says the new criminal code provides for the charge of murder when a homicide is committed. The charge of manslaughter she says only applies when there is an unlawful death in the case of someone executing their duty. For example if a police officer shoots and kills someone then he would face manslaughter charges. The DPP says there ought to be no public outrage over the Stapleton case because the accused if taken to trial can put up his defense. The law she says provides for arguments of self defense, insanity and other defenses. Victoria Charles Clarke says when a DPP she is not allowed to be swayed by emotions or public outrage. The job requires that the law is followed and that is not always popular.
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Home owners have been warned that burglars have stepped up their operations, now stripping homes of every single item. The warning comes from Gros Islet Police, who recovered an apartment full of stolen household items. The Police executed a raid yesterday morning at a house in Trouya. They recovered, living room suites, sound systems, televisions, washing machines, dryers, table lamps and other appliances. A man and his girlfriend were arrested during the raid. Charges are expected to be laid by Monday. According to Police, thieves are now taking anything they can from homes. In one case, burglars took a toilet bowl and a door. And vehicles remain a prime target. In fact Police are searching for a Grand Vitara and Honda SUV. According to the Police, thieves are developing an appetite for the homes of expatriates who live here a few months out of the year. They say the thieves are closely monitoring the movements of home owners before striking. In one such case, thieves took all the furniture in a man’s house, including bed sheets and even cutlery. A vehicle parked in the garage was also stolen. Police say of the items recovered at Trouya three RCA televisions are yet to be claimed and are asking anyone in the North who may have had their TV stolen to come in for identification.
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