At a press conference held on Monday 27th March, 2023 Ronald Phillip Deputy Commissioner Of Police says The Royal Saint Lucia Police Force is very happy with the new Police Powers legislation.
He says the police are granted more powers to operate once an area is declared an escalated crime area with search powers.
“We’re very happy with the legislation because it gives the police more powers to operate, now that the area is declared an escalated crime area police officers can ..once police officers are operating in good faith, it is important to note the legislation speaks to good faith. So once police offers are operating in good faith it gives police officers more search powers in terms of the arrest, how long somebody can be detained for, so this is good for law enforcement.” he shared.
In response to the backlash which states the legislation goes against human rights, the commissioner says it is enforced within the force to respect the rights of others along with maintaining professionalism. He added the legislation speaks to acting in good faith and acting in good faith means upholding the values of the police force.
“As far as I know we’re a professional police organization and during our briefing we always speak to officers in terms of respecting the rights of others. Again the legislation does not speak to anything human rights. It specifically states that officers will act in good faith and acting in good faith or wanting to act in good faith they must uphold the values of the police force which speaks to professionalism.” he continued.
He says in the event anyone believes their rights are being compromised there are mechanisms in place.
“If persons have any complaints, if they think their rights are being trampled on there are mechanisms in place, there is the police complaints unit. If you figure that the police officer did something wrong, you can take your grievances to a lawyer.” he disclosed.
The commissioner states people’s human rights are respected and police officers are encouraged to display professionalism however, the police force will maintain their role and will not be deterred by complaints.
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