The move is expected to ease the burden on law enforcement of finding accommodation for arrested suspects. 

Police Commissioner Pelius says she awaits the timely completion of the Custody Suites located on Upper Bridge Street, Castries. Formerly known as The Royal Gaol, the structure served as a detention facility for prisoners, then arrested suspects, for decades.

Since the 2020 demolition, police have had to resort to housing individuals at police stations across the country - a sore point identified by officers and the Police Welfare Association for months.

“We don’t have Custody Suites and this is a challenge we are facing because of the volume of crime to investigate. To be going the length and breadth of Saint Lucia to find a cell to keep these inmates is a challenge. When someone is arrested, the officers at CID and Major Crimes have a very difficult task because we have nowhere in the City to keep these offenders,” the Commissioner lamented.

A completion date for the Suites has not yet been announced.