Fedee’s statements come after the country recorded 8 homicides thus far this year.
While the government, police and non-governmental organisations have vowed to work together to combat crime with both law enforcement and social intervention, Fedee says these measures won’t work.
“The Saint Lucia Labour Party Administration - you look at who supported them in the last election - they can't [act] because many of the perpetrators of crime are their supporters. And so, I'm not saying that all SLP supporters are criminals, but there seems to be a pandering to lawless behaviour by the Saint Lucia Labour Party Administration,” said Fedee at a UWP press conference.
Fedee continued by saying that members of the Pierre-Led Administration have not denounced the spate of retaliatory killings because of the supposed link between them and their supporters.
“And so, that's why you've never seen any government official from the Cabinet come out and speak forcefully and to say that we reject that kind of behaviour and to say that this is unacceptable.”
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Ernest Hilaire says the government will continue its ongoing efforts with law enforcement. He doubles down on the government’s decision to not bring political interference into the work of the RSLPF.
Rather, Hilaire outlined, the government will provide the necessary resources to the police.
“I know that there are a lot of discussions taking place with the police. Like the Prime Minister always says and is absolutely right in that regard, our role as government is to sit with the police and say to them, what are your strategies? What do you need from the government? And then to provide it for them,” he explained.
The Deputy PM says the police have suffered because of the interference of politicians. Instead, he says the SLP Administration will allow professionals to do what they are trained to do.
“We are not trained in law enforcement. We're not experts in criminology and whatnot. So we don't design and develop strategies for them. But they have to come up with it and they have to ask for the resources and we have to find a way to provide as much as we can,” he said.
Saint Lucia has been experiencing an increase in homicides as retaliatory gang killings continue to pervade the region, in part due to the availability of illegal arms.