Recollections Of A Retired Police Commissioner – A chapter from Restored Confidence by Vernon Francois
My first posting on duty as a member of the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force was at Port Police Station which later metamorphosed into Central Police Station located on Bridge Street, Castries. I spent about one week performing beat duties at Central. Beat duties generally entailed patrolling the streets of Castries and other related security functions as well as guarding the mortuary at Victoria Hospital in the event of unnatural death cases. Yes, I had to stand guard to ensure no one steals the dead from the hospital.
My transfer to the Special Services Unit coincided with a period of heightened political activity in the region. Saint Lucia had just had its general elections the year before, after a most tumultuous campaign. The Progressive Labour Party, led by the late firebrand George Odlum, was allegedly involved in recruiting Saint Lucians for special training in Muammar Gaddafi’s Libya. The day’s United Workers Party government worried that Saint Lucians were being recruited for purposes inimical to Saint Lucia’s security. I recall a tense stand-off between the police and those involved in the suspect activity. The SSU was placed on full alert and the passports of the Libya-bound “students” confiscated at the airport in Vigie.
The genesis of the incident appeared to be eighteen Saint Lucians who were issued with travel tickets which would enable them to travel to Libya via Martinique and France. According to government officials, those young Saint Lucians were part of a group of people from the Eastern Caribbean who were to travel to Libya for military and terrorism-related training. Their travels, according to media reports at the time, were ostensibly to take part in “cultural activities in France”. On the day of their intended departure, a total of fourteen of them showed up at the Vigie Airport in Castries where their passports were promptly confiscated by the local immigration authorities. The group was also denied exit certificates by the Inland Revenue Department in Saint Lucia.
This stand-off represented my first foray into operational policing. To be fair, I played no particular role apart from being present and observing how my more senior colleagues handled the situation. It all ended well but one obvious lesson was the threat of terrorism: it was not on the radar of law enforcement but has since become a significant global concern. It was also apparent that there was political agitation from radical and progressive leaders across the sub-region. Political figures such as George Odlum from Saint Lucia, Ralph Gonsalves from St. Vincent, Tim Hector from Antigua and Walter Rodney from Guyana come readily to mind as being very active during that period.
It was also around that time that the United States of America, backed by some Caribbean governments, invaded Grenada. The invasion, under the code name “Operation Urgent Fury”, was intended to restore democratic governance to the independent Caribbean island of Grenada. That nation’s prime minister, Maurice Bishop, who led a revolutionary government, and some members of his administration were held under house arrest by a group of dissidents headed by his deputy, Bernard Coard, and his chief lieutenant, Hudson Austin. Things came to a head on October 19, 1983 when Prime Minister Bishop and a number of officials were released from house arrest by a large crowd sympathetic to Bishop. The exuberant crowd then marched on to Fort Rupert, the then seat of the Grenada government, in an effort to regain power. In response, the dissidents lined up Bishop and his senior officials against a wall at Fort Rupert and shot them execution-style. Despite many efforts, the bodies of Prime Minister Bishop and others executed with the prime minister have never been recovered.
Reacting to the turmoil, a request was made of the United States government by some Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders for the restoration of constitutional government in Grenada. On October 25, 1983, an invasion force comprising military troops from the United States, Jamaica and the Regional Security System descended on Grenada. Regional police officers, including from Saint Lucia, were quickly mobilized to be part of the initial invasion force. I was part of the second wave of Saint Lucian police officers that travelled to Grenada in January 1984. The war with the then People’s Revolutionary Army of Grenada had already ended and our role was essentially to keep order.
As a young police officer, peace-keeping duties in Grenada was for me quite an experience. We travelled to Grenada aboard a United States military aircraft. The war was over but the country was still very raw, with firearms and ammunition all over the place. My tour of duty, which lasted about six weeks, was spent at Fort Rupert overlooking the capital city, St. George’s. This was the compound where former Prime Minister Bishop and some of his colleagues had been set up against a wall and shot to death. Numerous stories were told of people who died during the massacre as they attempted to escape by jumping the high walls surrounding the fort.
Our duties were not very challenging as there were not many situations of confrontation relating to our functions. What we encountered were a few not out of the ordinary personality clashes and in some cases outright negative behaviour among our contingent. With everyone carrying a high-calibre rifle at all times, there were some tense moments with the possibility of disaster breaking out at any time. I recall one incident towards the end of our stay when some us decided to “steal” a military jeep driven by one of our colleagues so that we could go to the north coast of Grenada. I emphasize the word steal since the vehicle was US Army property that been assigned to the driver strictly for purposes of work. Additionally, it was an easy matter matter to start these vehicles without ignition keys. On the night before our escapade, we removed the vehicle from its usual parking spot to an area a little further down the hill. The plan was to sneak out in the early morning hours and set off on our joyride. Everything went according to plan until we boarded the vehicle. Suddenly we heard gunshots coming from the top of the hill. I assumed they were fired by the officer who had custody of the vehicle. Thankfully, we were not impacted; we drove off. But I couldn’t help thinking how differently things might have ended had the American soldiers, who were camped not far away, themselves opened fire in retaliation.
The Grenadian people made the peacekeepers feel particularly welcome. They went out of their way to treat us well and were thankful for our efforts at keeping their country safe. I cannot recall a single incident of public protest or negative comments about our presence among them. New friendships were made involving the visiting police officers; loved bloomed. Marriages resulted, as did children. It really was something to see, that despite what they were going through, they remained as hospitable as are Caribbean people generally.
The invasion of Grenada by Reagan’s US Marines and regional peacekeepers was a blessing in disguise in terms of the military and financial support we received from the United States. The so-called Cold War between the United States and Russia was still raging and there was a real concern about the influence of Cuba-inspired communism in the region. At the time there were prominent and influential politician in Caribbean countries such as Guyana, Saint Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, determined to make the shift from capitalism to socialism. The United States government was committed to doing whatever it considered necessary to ensure what had occurred in Grenada would not be repeated anywhere else in the region.
Another obvious concern for the United States government at the time had to do with the proximity of the Caribbean region to Nothr America. This was particularly relevant as relates to the trafficking in illegal drugs, principally cocaine. The region has long been considered a trans-shipment point for drugs emanating from South and Central America, destined for North America. It was in the American interest to ensure police forces throughout the Caribbean were prepared to deal with all threats, real or imagined. As a response to the threat of Cuban influence and the trans-shipment of drugs in the region, the United States moved towards providing funding and overall strengthening of the Regional Security System. This reflected itself in terms of joint training opportunities such as Trade Winds exercises. On the national level, the Americans contributed to the strengthening of Special Services Units and Drugs Units in the various islands.
More sophisticated weapons were provided to these Units and there was a shift through training to change the focus from aimless destruction of local marijuana to a more intelligence-driven policing effort. There were many extended meetings with the Americans in consideration of many areas of training and equipment for police forces in the Regional Security System area. The Special Services Unit was transformed to a department staffed and trained to tackle the modern demands of policing. This assumed immense significance due to the fact that there was no stand-alone defence force in Saint Lucia. The SSU’s role became paramount as the military arm of the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force. The Special Services Unit would have been transformed to a greater emphasis on brains than brawn—even though there will always be in policing a place for brawn.
The Marine Units in the region also benefitted tremendously in the post-Grenada invasion period. Their role as protectors of our porous marine borders was accentuated and they received tremendous American assistance, both in the area of training and equipment. There was no doubt the bulk of the drug trans-shipment was conducted via our marine routes. Boats for both transportation and for pursuing drugs offenders at sea were provided on concessionary terms by the United States. In addition to technical training for use and maintenance of these vessels, training was also made available at the management level of the police forces.
A few months after my return from Grenada, I was transferred to the local Control Room at Police Headquarters, Castries. It was interesting work as this was, and still is, the communication hub of the force. Notwithstanding, I cannot help but think my career in policing actually started when I was assigned to the Criminal Investigations Department, then located at Port Police Station on Jeremie Street, Castries.
Until my assignment to the Criminal Investigations Department, which was about seven years into my career as a police officer, I had never been involved in investigative policing. I had little or no opportunity to attend court. In consequence, Superintendent Kenwin Collins, who was at the time Officer in Charge, assigned me to understudy retired Superintendent Gregory Montoute, a senior constable. I profited greatly from the experience of Mr. Montoute and the other senior officers of the Criminal Investigations Unit. I subsequently had the privilege to lead some of those officers in various capacities including as Commissioner of Police.
In consideration of my deficiency in the area of investigative experience, I made a specific effort to be the best investigator I could be. I initiated the process by identifying the better investigators around at the time and utilized their experience. I recorded statements and drafted charges to be reviewed by more senior officers. I recall taking a search warrant I had prepared for perusal by retired Superintendent Headen Lionel, who was at the time a Corporal in the department. The drafting of the warrant was a product of copy work as it was customary to prepare such documents from existing copies. Having enquired about the origin of the document I had presented him, Mr. Lionel redirected me to the Criminal Code of Saint Lucia. Suffice it to say, I discovered the format I had inherited and used as my model for a number of documents including search warrants did not coincide with the law. Lesson learned, I acquired my own copy of the Criminal Code and other relevant legislation. It turned out copies of the Criminal Code were in short supply. I received mine from my brother Martinus who was then pursuing legal studies in England. Times have changed; today the Criminal Code of Saint Lucia is readily available online—as are local newspapers that back in the day I mailed to Martinus religiously every week.
Acquiring my own work-related literature contributed considerably to the criminal investigator I became. My progress as an investigator was also influenced by the dedication to duty on the part of some of the supervisors I encountered there. I recall before the commencement of the day’s shift, particularly on mornings, discussion ensued on the status of cases under investigation and we devised ways of tackling various investigations. That sense of commitment extended to the follow-up investigations and the submission of case and investigation files. As detectives, when we were off duty (if there was ever such a thing) we avoided the area on Jeremie Street where our office was located. Otherwise we were likely to be hailed by an eagle-eyed supervisor who would then insist on our completing a file or updating him on an investigation. Tough, yes, but from all of that I learned many lessons that served me well as I advanced my policing career.
I recall an incident during my early days as a detective: I was on duty about 1.00 a.m. when a homicide report was made to the department. The incident allegedly had taken place at a dance at Boguis, a community situated a fair distance from the city of Castries. About four of us left for the scene aboard a Suzuki jeep that passed for a police vehicle. Upon arrival, the scene was processed and the body loaded aboard the open-backed vehicle. On our way back we received information concerning the suspect’s residence. The other more senior police officers quickly disembarked at the indicated address, leaving me behind in the dark with the corpse, at 2.00 a.m. in a near uninhabited area. Even though I knew there was nothing to fear from a lifeless body, still I was ready to leap out of that Suzuki had that corpse, for whatever scientific reason, as much as moved a toe. In time I would become quite accustomed to being alone in the dark with the departed!
I learned from my earliest days in criminal investigations the value of human life. I learned never to think of myself as being more important than another person. I have encountered people who in life were considered a cut or two above the rest. Then that person dies in circumstances that demand a post-mortem. Suddenly the status that individual had enjoyed for a lifetime suddenly evaporates. He’s just another slab of meat on some mortuary furniture. His body is cut and cracked open by the pathologist in the same way a he would a vagrant’s corpse. This is something I always keep in mind.
I was also taught during these formative years to have an overall respect for all human beings. I aggressively and relentlessly pursued criminals during the course of my work. I never actually despised them. I fought their deviant and abhorrent behaviour. Notwithstanding, I treated them with dignity when they were in my custody. I never violated the rights of criminals. I dealt with them professionally while pursuing justice.
I have always believed the role of the police in the criminal justice system is to investigate cases and submit their findings to either the Director of Public Prosecutions or directly for judicial review. I have never accepted the violation of the rights of criminal suspects as a tool to solve or reduce crime. In fact, a number of the criminals whom I arrested in my time retain a high level of respect for me. Some I have been given reason to count among my friends.
