St. Lucia Opposition Leader calls for strategy to deal with inflow of illegal guns

Opposition Leader Allen Chastanet says much more needs to be done to reduce the inflow of illegal guns into the country following a bloody weekend in St. Lucia that resulted in the deaths of at least two people including a British man.

Police said the island’s death toll reached 68 on Sunday with the murder of an unidentified person in Vieux Fort.

Police also confirmed that Donnie McKinnon, who manages the Soufriere Estate on the island was on the balcony of a bar, along with his friend, Peter Jackson, a 72-year-old photographer, when the gunmen approached.

McKinnon succumbed to his injuries, while Jackson, another British expatriate, has been admitted to hospital.

“This weekend’s gun violence is reminder that we must take the issue of crime much more seriously and do something meaningful sooner rather than later to deal with this persistent scourge,” Chastanet said in a statement posted on his Facebook page.

He said whilst crime in general remains a concern, the daily robberies and murders committed using guns is something that must be tackled without fear or favor.

“The fact is that we need to do a lot more to get illegal guns and ammunition off the streets, strengthen our borders to reduce the inflow of illegal guns whilst also helping our citizens to find alternative ways of resolving conflicts.

“My condolences to the families and friends of those whose lives were unfortunately cut short this weekend and wishing a speedy recovery to the other 13 persons who are recovering from gunshot wounds. St. Lucia, we’re better than this,” he added.

Last week, Prime Minister Phillip J. Pierre said his administration will announce a comprehensive social intervention program to complement the law enforcement measures as he urged St. Lucians to adopt a zero tolerance to crime on the island.

Pierre in a radio and television broadcast warned that the island risks losing all of the gains made over the past few years if the crime situation is not dealt with.

Pierre said the crime situation is not a sudden phenomenon and successive governments have grappled with this situation noting also that while the underlying causes of crime make it a complex issue that cannot be left to only the police and the government to solve.

CMC/