Talks Towards the Setting-Up of Crime Commission Begin Here

Contact: John Emmanuel

Monday, January 29, 2001 - Efforts toward the setting up of a National Commission on the Prevention of Crime for St. Lucia have taken a crucial step forward, with the arrival here of renowned Criminologist Professor Ramesh Deosaran. Prime Minister the Honourable Dr. Kenny Anthony had announced the commission’s establishment, following the Old Year’s Day attack at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Castries, that left one person dead and several nursing injuries.

The setting up of the commission forms part of what Attorney General Senator Petrus Compton describes as early intervention strategies on the part of government at curbing crime on the island. But Professor Deosaran, who began holding talks with legal and tourism officials here on Monday, January 29, has come in for sharp criticism from certain quarters that are concerned over his ability to set-up a crime commission for St. Lucia, given the high crime rate in his native Trinidad and Tobago.   

Responding to critics Professor Deosaran says he has made similar proposals to several Caribbean governments including Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada and Jamaica, but the success or failure of a proposal does not depend on the messenger, but on those responsible for implementing the measures and accounting for the proposal in real terms.

“I have done my duty and I’m still doing my duty as a university researcher, someone who has written and researched the area and it’s now up to the different governments to implement what they are entrusted to do,” he added. 

Commenting on the timeliness of the Commission’s establishment Professor Deosaran, who serves as Director for the Centre of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the St. Augustine Campus of University of the West Indies suggests the plan could very well become a model for other CARICOM countries. St. Lucia, he noted, with a population of about 150 thousand people, “service oriented with different small communities attached to respective police stations, could really become an active vibrant model in terms of structuring and operationalizing community policing for the rest of CARICOM countries. So the future looks bright not only in terms of peace and tranquility for St. Lucia, but as an expression of modern governance by the St. Lucian government.”

The actual make-up of the Commission will be determined by the Cabinet of Ministers that is, at the moment, considering a proposal paper from Professor Deosaran that outlines a possible structure for the St. Lucia National Crime Commission. The paper suggests a democratic process that preserves a core of expertise for the careful guidance of the commission.

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