By Staff Writer
CASTRIES, St. Lucia Mar 27, CMC -The St. Lucia police say, despite the disappointment of the gun amnesty, law enforcement has learnt valuable lessons and criminals have been warned that
“No guns were turned in. Some may look at this as a failure. However, the Royal St. Lucia Police Force has learned some valuable lessons. The amnesty acted as a diagnostic tool for our community,” Assistant Commissioner of Police, Luke Defreitas, said of the gun amnesty that ran for seven days during the last two weeks of January.
“The fact that the bins remain empty tells us something vital. It tells us that the deliberate choice of the criminal elements to remain illegally armed far outweighs the fear of prosecution, and that the illegal market is tighter than we estimated.
“We now have a clearer map of the psychological landscape of our streets. This amnesty was a necessary test of our community’s readiness to be disarmed,” Defreitas said, warning that the amnesty as a final crossroads, a clear and deliberate opportunity for offenders to disengage from criminality.
Defreitas statement comes after three people were wounded on Wednesday during a broad daylight attack on the outskirts of the capital.
“We have every legal means at our disposal to curb this violence and remove illegal firearms from our streets. We have moved into a phase of heightened proactive enforcement. We will be in the spaces where you hide, and we will be relentless in our pursuit of those who value a piece of cold metal over human life,” Defreitas said.
Police regard the incident on Wednesday as a tipping point, and in his strongly worded address to the nation, Defreitas described such acts as an outright assault on law-abiding citizens and a challenge to national order that will be met decisively.
“As of today, the Royal St. Lucia Police Force has recorded 18 homicides for 2026. This is not just a statistic. It is 18 families shattered and a shadow cast over our communities. Most disturbingly, 60 per cent of these lives were taken with the pull of a trigger.
“But the violence is not limited to those we have lost. We are seeing a reckless disregard for public safety in our streets,” he said, adding that Wednesday’s incident occurred in the mid-afternoon, “in a space where law-abiding citizens go about their lives, is an affront to every St Lucian.
“This cowardice will not be tolerated,” Defreitas said, noting that the opportunity provided by the gun amnesty has now passed.
“Those who chose to keep the illegal firearms did so with full knowledge of the path they were taking. You have made your choice. Now the Royal St. Lucia Police Force will make ours,” he said, noting that even so, the police have undertaken targeted operations yielding tangible results, with illegal firearms seized and multiple suspects brought before the courts.
“Before the amnesty, the Royal St. Lucia Police Force had already seized six firearms off our streets. Since the amnesty ended and our grace period closed, we have moved with renewed intensity, seizing a total of ten additional firearms.
“We didn’t need the criminals to hand them over. We went and took them. Our net is closing,” Defreitas said, noting that what follows is a phase defined by assertive policing, an extension of operations aimed at dismantling criminal networks and restoring a sense of safety across communities.
“To those responsible for those attacks, do not mistake our previous calls for peace as a sign of exhaustion. We are not repeating ourselves. We are notifying you that the grace period has long expired,” he said, reiterating that the amnesty was not a failure.
“Nine homicides have already been solved this year, and 15 individuals were pursued, arrested, and are currently facing the weight of the law for these crimes. A further three individuals will be charged ….To those still holding illegal weapons, put them down now, or prepare to face the full unyielding force of the state.
“We will no longer ask. We will act. The Royal Saint Lucia Police Force has a clear and absolute mandate to use every legal means at our disposal to curb this violence and remove illegal firearms from our streets.
“We have moved into a phase of heightened, proactive enforcement. We will be in the spaces where you hide, and we will be relentless in our pursuit of those who value a piece of cold metal over a human life.”
Defreitas said that the police high command has moved to reinforce morale within the ranks, commending officers on the front lines and assuring them of full institutional backing as they carry out their duties.
“To the brave men and women of the Royal St. Lucia Police Force, as you step out into the front lines, do so with your heads held high and your resolve unshakeable. You are to have no fear in the execution of your duties. The senior command stands firmly and unequivocally behind you.
“As long as you act within the law and in the defence of this nation, you have our full support, our protection and our gratitude. We have given the criminals the chance to walk away. Now it is our job to ensure that those who refuse that chance face justice. (
“The amnesty was the final warning. The 16 ceasefire arms are just the beginning. The mandate is clear. We will reclaim the peace in St. Lucia, one illegal firearm at a time,” Defreitas added.
CMC/fg/ir/2026