I have always advocated that criminals should not get away with crime but be dealt with swiftly by the Courts. But then again, the police must have the necessary equipment to carry out effective investigations. And our judicial system must be up to a standard where the public will be satisfied and justice must be seen as being served swiftly, not with the long delays that we are plagued with in Saint Lucia.
I have heard disenchanted and disgruntled persons speaking out on the Court system and other agencies that are continuously failing them. This is in relation to criminals “getting away with murder” and other offences, as well as the length of time some prisoners spend on remand before having their cases heard.
There have also been instances where criminals have been charged for the capital offence of murder, but due to lack of forensics, they get away with it and continue to live their lives of criminality on the streets. While each man, or woman is innocent until proven guilty, I believe that a lot more can be done to bring complete closure to criminal cases.
Too often there are murder cases that just cannot be solved because of the lack of the science that is crucially needed to do so. In most instances the police have to depend on the public, more often than not for crucial information to solve those cases.
Case in point are a recently discovered decomposed body in one instance and a burnt one in another other; to identify these have been a monumental task for the police. Meanwhile their families await closure and the perpetrators are freely roaming the streets.
I will be emboldened to make a few recommendations that may cut down on the work of the crime scene investigators and by extension, the police:
1.The Forensic Lab at Tapion must have in place a comprehensive Data Bank to store fingerprints, DNA samples, dental x-rays and other assorted means to identify persons in all relevant cases.
2. That the Government enacts laws that will make it mandatory to extract all DNA samples from arrested persons, be it whether you are under suspicion, or in the process of being remanded.
3.That all inmates entering the Bordelais Correctional Facility, will by laws enacted, give DNA samples which would be mandatory.
After all that is done, those samples will be placed in that central Data Bank at the Forensic Lab for future reference. This I am sure will allow the police to have an easier task of carrying out effective investigations, which will be satisfactory to all parties.
And I am certain that no longer will those criminal elements get away with various offences. At the least it will make it more difficult for them to do so.
Until there is a fool proof system to law and order system this will keep happening.The criminals will either bribe the offers or some good defence lawyer will save them due to the absence of enough and valid proof.
Its really sad to be driving around in my audi and seeing all those young boys cooling on the block smoking the weed. And looking to rob people of they goods. Why is its the government can not open a youth camp where young teenagers. Can do voluntary work like planting tree’s. Helping out the elderly folks in the community.
I think criminals Will keep getting away as long as we keep hiding one another. Went parents fail to take an interest in they children true needs and wants. Went kids know the truth about wacki backi and tacki smacki the dangers these drugs pose on them self and the community as a whole. One thing is good the police go around to different school to talk to students about all this things. Must commend them on such a good job,as you all know there still more we can do as a whole community.
Ok…So there are qualified individuals in St Lucia to man the Lab, but are they currently being employed at the lab?
This article was taken right out of “Investigative Policing 101”; these are critical elements that the Justice Ministry should have had in place shortly after the Forensic Lab was graciously opened. I’m of the view that the 400-plus unsolved murder victims were not that important to the Govt, for if it was a gov’t minister or his immediate family who was killed, the wheels of justice would turn at break-neck speed. THERE ARE qualified individuals in St. Lucia to man the Lab, but the DPP office filled with corruption and petty politics is hindering their progress. Rick published a piece on this last year. Let’s hope that the Justice Minister reads this “revealing and educational…
Stupidity is the reward of St. Lucians, in other words it pays to be a dummy on this island. The court system is vehicle for making lawyers and others involved in the legal system a good living. It has nothing to do with fixing the society or decreasing crime, we are all criminals of one kind or another, we just go to church every Sunday, pray before sleeping and when waking up, this makes everything good. So if you have just robbed your client, don’t be so worried, praying will cancels your guilt. It works for all other crimes, just pray afterwards.
good article. Please carry on pushing. Not until the whole of st lucia is DNA sampled will a lot of violent crime come to an end.
Good points but what good is a well equipped forensic science lab, as we are led to believe, without highly skilled and experienced forensic scientists to process evidence? Staff need to have the necessary qualifications to produce thorough validated evidence that will stand up in Court. Collection and preservation of evidence is also a challenge, according to the Minister’s recent statement.
This whole business of the labs is very distressing to families affected by violent crimes. People deserve better and the Government need to address these issues.
Everybody is crying out for peace, nobody is crying out for justice.