标签： Saint Lucia

圣卢西亚

BELfund staff to receive 8% pay hike

After months of negotiations, Jamaica’s National Workers Union (NWU) has announced a landmark tentative agreement with the government-backed BELfund that delivers tangible economic gains and upgraded working conditions for hundreds of technical and clerical staff across the organization.

Under the terms of the deal, the 8% cumulative wage increase will be phased in incrementally over a three-year period, with the first adjustment set to take effect in September 2025. In addition to the scheduled pay raises, the collective bargaining agreement addresses longstanding worker concerns by expanding social protection and quality of life provisions, including enhanced paternity leave provisions that allow new fathers more paid time to support their families, and a brand-new subsistence allowance designed to offset out-of-pocket costs for field officers who regularly travel and work off-site.

As part of the negotiated settlement, all covered employees will also receive retroactive back pay to account for the timing of the agreement’s implementation, ensuring workers do not lose out on the compensation gains they secured through the collective bargaining process. Both parties have confirmed that the formal signing ceremony for the new three-year collective agreement will be held at the office of the Labour Commissioner, marking the official conclusion of negotiations and clearing the way for the terms to be put into effect.

The deal represents a rare win-win outcome for both labor and management, with the agreement reached through collaborative negotiation rather than industrial action, avoiding potential disruption to BELfund’s core public services while delivering meaningful improvements that address workers’ financial and workplace needs.

19 5 月, 2026
2 Da Max, LFX stay unbeaten in Coast 2 Coast Netball

On Saturday, May 16, the second installment of Netball Saint Lucia’s much-anticipated Coast 2 Coast Netball Tournament unfolded at the Vigie Sports Complex in Castries, delivering lopsided, decisive victories across both the senior and junior competitive divisions.

In the senior category, two squads stormed to commanding wins, kicking off the round with impressive displays of on-court dominance. Making their tournament debut, 2 Da Max Netball Academy — clad in purple uniforms — seized total control of the center court against Shamrock Seniors, leveraging their superior speed and coordinated athleticism to outpace their opponents from the opening whistle. Solid, consistent shooting from players Semaj Marguerite and Shem Maxwell locked in their lopsided 46-13 final score. Notably, the match featured sitting members of Netball Saint Lucia’s executive committee competing on both rosters, adding an extra layer of community engagement to the contest.

The second senior victory went to LFX Netballers, who secured their second consecutive tournament win after beating Kanawi Ballers by a 45-13 margin. The LFX roster boasts a wealth of elite experience, counting several current and former national team players among its ranks, including incumbent national captain Melika Destang. For Kanawi Ballers, the defeat marked their first loss of the 2026 tournament, following an opening-round win in April.

Over in the junior division, two new squads claimed the top spot in their respective matches. Little Sisters delivered a 25-9 defeat to White Blazers, handing White Blazers their second straight loss of the tournament. In the other junior matchup, Desruisseaux’s Ruby Red Darlings secured a 13-8 victory over Shamrock Juniors, powered by a standout offensive performance from shooter Jerannie Marquis of Beanefield Comprehensive.

To contextualize the tournament’s current standings, the opening round of competition was held on April 25 in Canaries, where Shamrock Juniors bested White Blazers 7-5, LFX defeated the Windward Islands School Games team 40-25, and Kanawi Ballers notched an opening victory over Shamrock Seniors 24-11.

The third and next leg of the Coast 2 Coast Netball Tournament is scheduled to take place at Fond St Jacques on Saturday, May 30, where competitors will continue vying for the overall tournament title.

19 5 月, 2026
St Jude’s Hospital transition continues

A new chapter in St. Lucia’s long-running healthcare reconstruction effort has begun this week, as the country kicks off the phased relocation of services to the all-new St. Jude’s Hospital, according to Health Minister Moses Jn Baptiste. Speaking to journalists on Monday, Jn Baptiste confirmed that the week marks the first critical step in the years-in-the-making transition to the permanent new medical facility. “This is the window when the dedicated transitioning team will wrap up preparations to move hospital departments one by one,” the minister explained. “By the end of this week, I expect we will have clarity on which units will be the first to relocate to the new campus.”

19 5 月, 2026
Falling birth rates, brain drain: Why Saint Lucia is rethinking migration

Saint Lucia is grappling with a growing wave of skilled worker emigration, with nurses and teachers departing the Caribbean island nation in large numbers. This exodus has become a key driving force behind the drafting of a groundbreaking new national gender-responsive migration policy, designed to navigate both the risks and opportunities that come with cross-border population movement.

Currently, movement of people in Saint Lucia is governed by existing frameworks including the Immigration Act, the Citizenship Act, and relevant constitutional provisions. However, a combination of emerging global and national shifts has pushed policymakers to pursue a comprehensive, updated policy approach. Climate-driven disasters, plummeting fertility rates, and evolving geopolitical tensions have all created new uncertainty around the country’s long-term demographic and economic trajectory, prompting a re-evaluation of how migration is managed.

Speaking at an official media briefing held to unveil the draft policy, Patrice Quesada, Caribbean Coordinator for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), shared stark demographic data: Saint Lucia is currently recording barely above zero population growth, with its fertility rate already dropping below 1.4 births per woman. This figure is far below the 2.1 birth rate that demographers widely identify as the minimum threshold required to sustain stable population growth without immigration. Paul Kalicharan, a statistician from Saint Lucia’s National Insurance Corporation, has previously flagged these demographic trends, emphasizing that the country will need to import skilled foreign labor to fill critical workforce gaps that will emerge as the native population ages and shrinks.

The briefing brought together a diverse panel of stakeholders, including Quesada, Julian Dubois (Saint Lucia’s Ambassador for Diaspora Affairs), Caron Tobiere (Chairperson of the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations of Saint Lucia), Aiasha Jn Baptiste (Legal Officer at the Ministry of External Affairs), and Ken Charlery (Southern Division Immigration Supervisor).

During discussions, panellists acknowledged a key structural disparity: migrants currently working in Saint Lucia often have access to better professional and economic opportunities than native-born Saint Lucians who have never migrated abroad. Ambassador Dubois noted that the new draft policy creates a critical opening to examine this issue through an objective, balanced lens, allowing policymakers to recalibrate systems to deliver more equitable outcomes.

Officials also stressed that migration is not solely a challenge—it also carries substantial economic benefits for the island nation. One of the most significant advantages is the steady flow of remittances sent back to Saint Lucia by citizens living and working overseas. In recent years, this has shifted the national narrative around migration, repositioning well-managed migration as a tool to advance sustainable development and broader social inclusion.

The draft gender-sensitive migration policy was developed through a collaborative partnership between the government of Saint Lucia and IOM, following extensive consultations with dozens of civil society, security, and social agencies across the country and the broader Caribbean region. Once finalized, the draft will be presented to the national Cabinet for review before official implementation can begin.

The policy outlines eight core priority areas that will guide its implementation:

1. **Labour Migration and Decent Work**: The policy prioritizes the promotion of fair recruitment practices, robust protections for migrant workers, and full economic and social integration to maximize shared benefits for both the national economy and migrant households, while eliminating persistent gender disparities and upholding the rights of all vulnerable migrant groups.

2. **Migration Data, Monitoring and Evidence-based Research**: Policymakers will work to build a comprehensive, gender-responsive data and monitoring framework that can accurately track migration flows, measure policy outcomes, identify vulnerable populations, and assess the real-world impact of the new policy.

3. **Protection, Human Rights and Social Inclusion**: The policy commits to guaranteeing comprehensive support to all migrants, particularly marginalized and vulnerable groups, by expanding access to robust protection mechanisms and ensuring all migrants can access their rights and participate fully in society free from discrimination and stigma.

4. **Migration, Diaspora and Development Synergies**: The new framework seeks to leverage connections between migration, the Saint Lucian diaspora, and national development to drive sustainable economic growth, facilitate cross-border knowledge exchange, and strengthen national resilience, while mitigating the negative side effects of unmanaged migration.

5. **Migration in Crises and Environmental/Climate-related Mobility**: The policy will strengthen institutional preparedness and policy systems to anticipate, reduce the harm of, and manage migration driven by crises and climate change, with a focus on gender equity, protection, and the development of long-term sustainable solutions.

6. **Remittances and Development**: The framework aims to amplify the contribution of remittances to national development by cutting transaction costs, expanding access to financial services for recipients, and supporting the productive, gender-equitable use of remittance income to boost household resilience, expand economic opportunity, and drive sustainable national growth.

7. **Return and Reintegration**: Policymakers will build out comprehensive support systems to support the sustainable economic and social reintegration of Saint Lucians returning to live and work in the country after living overseas, ensuring returnees are treated with dignity and fully included in national life.

8. **Border Management and Safe and Orderly Migration**: The policy will strengthen Saint Lucia’s capacity to implement integrated, rights-based border management, ensuring that migration remains safe, orderly, and regular, while preventing irregular migration and upholding protections for vulnerable migrants.

19 5 月, 2026
CPEA under scrutiny: Parents and teachers voice concerns

Each year, as primary school students prepare to transition to secondary education, all eyes turn to the Caribbean Primary Exit Assessment (CPEA), a standardized testing framework rolled out by the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) that has reshaped end-of-primary evaluation across the region. First introduced in several Caribbean nations as early as 2012, the CPEA was created to replace the decades-old Common Entrance exam, with a core mission of delivering a more holistic, accurate measure of student readiness before they enter secondary schooling. For Saint Lucia, the full transition to the new assessment system was completed in May 2022, closing a chapter on the traditional Common Entrance model and cementing CPEA as the official exit evaluation for the island’s primary students.

Unlike the outgoing Common Entrance system, which centered entirely on a single high-stakes final exam that determined secondary placement, the CPEA model incorporates continuous ongoing coursework and formative assessments throughout a student’s final primary year. The original design of the framework was intended to cut down on the acute stress caused by a one-off make-or-break test, while also encouraging greater active engagement from both students and their families in the learning process. But more than a decade after its initial launch, the assessment has failed to live up to its promises, according to hundreds of educators, parents, and students across the region, who have raised consistent alarms about its unintended negative consequences.

Annual public discourse and social media conversations across participating nations have repeatedly highlighted that the CPEA’s structure has created unexpected new burdens that outweigh its intended benefits. Many observers note that by the time students complete the assessment and enter their first year of secondary school (known locally as Form One), they are already experiencing severe academic burnout.

Worse, many secondary school educators report that current cohorts of students are less prepared for the demands of secondary-level coursework than those who took the old Common Entrance exam, with a worrying share of new Form One students lacking foundational proficiency in core skills including reading, writing, and mathematics.

To dig deeper into these growing concerns, local St. Lucia Times news outlet conducted interviews with a range of stakeholders with direct experience of the new assessment system. One anonymous serving primary school teacher compared the heavy workload required for the CPEA’s internal assessment component to the course load of a graduate-level master’s degree. “Five essays, a book report, one major project, eight teacher-created exams, four student-developed tests—all of this has to be completed in a single Grade 6 academic year. It’s simply too much for 11 and 12 year old students,” the teacher explained.

Claudine Louison, a Saint Lucian parent whose child is currently enrolled in Form Two, echoed that frustration. She noted that even with the CPEA’s rigorous evaluation requirements, the framework has not delivered on its core goal of creating a smooth transition between primary and secondary education. Even top-performing students, who often rely on intensive last-minute drilling to pass the CPEA’s requirements, struggle to adapt once they enter secondary school, Louison said.

“It is incredibly stressful for everyone involved, and honestly, I do not think it is fair to either students or teachers,” Louison said. “Grading is based on a work sample from other students combined with multiple-choice tests, which doesn’t give an accurate picture of what a student actually understands. When students earn strong grades and move on to secondary school, it quickly becomes clear that they never mastered core basic concepts. That just creates more work for secondary teachers who are left to fill gaps that should have been addressed in primary school.”

These concerns are not unique to Saint Lucia. Educators in other Caribbean nations that have adopted the CPEA have raised identical criticisms. One teacher from Grenada argued that the CPEA’s overreliance on multiple-choice questions actively holds back student development. “I believe the CPEA is crippling our students and robbing them of the chance to develop critical thinking skills,” the Grenadian educator said. “It also holds back their literacy skills by giving them almost no space to write and express their own ideas. The internal assessment component exists on paper, but even with that, the old Common Entrance exam truly tested students’ actual ability to apply knowledge.”

The Grenadian teacher also pointed to two other systemic issues: widespread learning loss that occurs once the CPEA is completed, and a growing culture of teaching-to-the-test that prioritizes exam performance over actual long-term learning. “After the exam wraps up, both teachers and students should stay engaged in learning, just with a lighter load to keep skills sharp. Right now, too much of primary school is just focused on passing the assessment, that’s not what education is for. Secondary school also requires maturity and discipline, skills that the CPEA doesn’t foster.”

During a pre-cabinet press briefing held on Monday, May 18, Saint Lucia’s Minister for Education Kenson Casimir acknowledged the growing calls for reform, but defended the core premise of moving away from a single high-stakes exam. Casimir noted that the shift to a continuous assessment model is progressive, aligned with modern workforce demands, and that all education assessment frameworks require ongoing review and adjustment to best serve student needs.

“I am not someone who believes that single exams are the best way to measure student ability,” Casimir said. “I believe that from this young age, we need to treat children as developing professionals. Education should always be life-forming, helping students build sustainable life skills that will serve them through their careers, help them become productive progressive members of our society, and contribute to economic growth across our nation.”

19 5 月, 2026
Government to upgrade delivery of social assistance

A two-week high-level assessment mission organized by the World Bank has wrapped up its work on the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia, concluding May 14 with clear progress toward upgrading the nation’s entire social assistance delivery infrastructure. The mission’s core outcome is a foundational framework for a new centralized Social Protection Information System, a digital upgrade designed to streamline access to social support, cut service wait times, and bring greater organization to fragmented existing programs.

The proposed unified platform will address longstanding coordination gaps across multiple government-led social assistance initiatives, centralizing all beneficiary and program data in one accessible location to boost cross-agency accountability and improve end-to-end service delivery for residents. Throughout the mission, World Bank technical teams maintained close collaborative working relationships with key Saint Lucian government bodies, including the Ministry of Equity, the Saint Lucia Social Development Fund, the Ministry of Finance, and the National Emergency Management Organisation, among other relevant agencies.

Nancy Banegas, Senior Social Protection Specialist at the World Bank leading the mission, outlined that the team’s review centered on three of the country’s most impactful social support programs: the Public Assistance Programme (PAP), the Koudmen Sent Lisi Programme, and the Shock Response Cash Voucher Programme. “These three programs have been identified as very important social assistance pillars for the country, and the government alongside the Ministry of Equity is committed to rethinking how services reach communities more effectively,” Banegas explained. She added that the new system will fundamentally reshape how government ministries deliver support and communicate with beneficiaries, delivering direct, tangible benefits to vulnerable people while strengthening the overall quality of support services available.

According to an official statement from the Saint Lucian government, the system will modernize nearly every core function of social assistance delivery, from initial beneficiary registration and eligibility assessments to payment processing and benefit distribution. Beyond improving outcomes for recipients, the upgrade will also streamline daily workflows for social workers and ministry administrative staff, reducing redundant data entry and bureaucratic bottlenecks.

Tanzia Toussaint, Director of Social Transformation in the Ministry of Equity, framed the initiative as a transformative milestone for Saint Lucia’s social protection ecosystem, particularly for improving data collection and evidence-based policy decision-making. “This means bringing together all stakeholders, particularly from within our Ministry, including Welfare, Human Services, Social Transformation and Community Development, all of which play a direct role in gathering and managing critical information,” Toussaint said. “We recognise that the flow of information and the capturing of relevant data from the units will improve considerably over time. The objective is to establish a system that reflects, unit by unit, the work being undertaken and the specific information that must be captured. Information is power, and without it, we cannot effectively drive the social protection agenda forward.”

Planned development and implementation timelines set a target to have the full system up and operational by the first quarter of 2027. The Ministry of Equity emphasized that the project forms a core part of broader government efforts to build a more efficient, people-centered social protection framework that can better meet the needs of vulnerable individuals and families across the entire island.

19 5 月, 2026
CARIFTA champion Cenac commits to Kansas

Rising Saint Lucian track and field star Destinee Cenac is set to take the next big step in her athletic and academic journey, after confirming she will join the University of Kansas (KU) track and field program on a full athletic scholarship for the upcoming season. The 17-year-old high jump standout will begin her dual pursuits of higher education and elite training in Lawrence, Kansas this coming August.

A current student at St Joseph’s Convent and a member of the local Morne Stars Athletics Club, Cenac has already built an impressive competitive resume across regional youth athletics. At this year’s national secondary school track and field championships, she delivered a dominant performance, claiming gold medals in three events: her signature high jump, as well as the 100-meter and 200-meter sprints in her age division.

Her road to the Caribbean Free Trade Association (CARIFTA) Games was paved with consistent standout results: Cenac cleared the 1.70-meter mark multiple times in qualifying rounds, including a winning performance at February’s Independence Games that secured her spot at the regional junior championship. Under the guidance of her coaches, brothers Len and Lenyn Leonce, Cenac went on to claim the Under-17 high jump gold medal at this year’s CARIFTA Games, hosted at Grenada’s Kirani James Stadium over the Easter weekend. It was at this competition that she set a new personal best, clearing 1.72 meters to take home the top prize.

After weighing multiple athletic scholarship offers from programs across the United States, Cenac — alongside her mother Junita — made the decision to commit to KU’s Jayhawks program. The young athlete had the opportunity to connect with Jayhawks head coach Stanley Redwine and assistant coach Brian Wellman in person, before holding a virtual meeting with Tom Hays, KU’s associate head coach who specializes in vertical jump training and will oversee Cenac’s development once she arrives on campus.

Hays, one of the most respected vertical jump coaches in collegiate track and field, has twice been named Midwest Region Assistant Coach of the Year, most recently in 2021 when he guided jumper Rylee Anderson to her second consecutive Big 12 conference title. Cenac will join a KU program with a proven track record of developing elite Caribbean talent: Saint Lucian 400-meter runner Michael Joseph, currently competing for the Jayhawks, has already set new national records for his home country and qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

For Cenac, the move to KU is also a chance to carry forward a long legacy of high jump excellence from her small Caribbean nation. She aims to follow in the footsteps of icons including Levern Spencer, the Commonwealth Games gold medal-winning high jumper, and her own Morne Stars teammate Jenneil Jacobie. Right now, the 17-year-old is wrapping up her final CXC secondary education examinations ahead of her departure for Kansas this summer.

19 5 月, 2026
Saint Lucia to focus on people empowerment on HR Day

Across the globe, human resources professionals form the invisible backbone of resilient, high-performing organizations — and this year, the Association of Human Resource Management Professionals in Saint Lucia (AHRMP) is stepping up to honor their work alongside the international HR community for International HR Day, taking place Wednesday, May 20.

A yearly global observance, International HR Day was created to shine a spotlight on the critical contributions HR teams make to building workplaces that are productive, resilient, and centered on the needs of employees. Beyond celebrating individual practitioners, the day also spotlights the shifting strategic role of the profession, which has grown from a back-office support function to a core driver of organizational adaptation and long-term growth amid today’s fast-changing business landscape.

This year’s global theme, “Empower People to Lead Change”, frames the conversation around a core imperative: organizations and their leaders have a responsibility to cultivate work environments where every team member has the tools, support, and encouragement to drive meaningful organizational transformation. The theme prioritizes four key pillars for navigating today’s complex modern workplaces: adaptability, inclusive leadership, employee empowerment, and intentional people-centric practices.

To mark the 2026 observance, AHRMP is organizing an interactive virtual open to professionals across Saint Lucia and beyond. Aligning with the global theme, the local event carries the subtitle “Empowering People to Lead Change: The HR Imperative in Today’s Workplace.” The webinar is scheduled to run from 12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. local time on May 20, and will bring together a cross-section of stakeholders: practicing HR professionals, C-suite and business leaders, organizational development specialists, and emerging young professionals entering the field.

During the session, attendees will join in guided discussion exploring core topics including modern leadership strategies, ongoing workplace transformation, the rapidly evolving role of HR in 21st-century organizations, and the diversity and growing strategic value of the HR profession.

For AHRMP, International HR Day is more than a celebration — it is a critical opportunity to strengthen national conversations around pressing workplace topics: adaptive leadership, healthy organizational culture, workforce readiness for future challenges, and sustainable people practices that drive long-term success.

AHRMP President Goretti Paul recently shared her perspective on the growing importance of the HR function in today’s volatile business climate, emphasizing that people are the foundation of any successful organization. “Organisations cannot successfully navigate change, build resilience, or sustain growth without placing people at the centre of their strategy,” Paul explained. “HR is no longer operating at the sidelines of business decision-making; it is increasingly at the core of how organisations adapt, lead, and remain future-ready.”

AHRMP has extended an open invitation to a broad range of stakeholders to participate in the upcoming webinar, including practicing HR professionals, team managers, business leaders, human resources students, and any members of the wider professional community interested in exploring the future of work, leadership development, and people strategy. Pre-registration for the event is currently open to the public via the official AHRMP website at www.ahrmp-slu.org/hrday2026.

Additional event details, including announcements of featured speakers and the full event agenda, will be published in the coming weeks via AHRMP’s official social media channels. For any questions or further information, interested parties can contact the AHRMP team directly by phone at 758-520-1671, via email at info@ahrmp-slu.org, or by visiting the association’s main website at www.ahrmp-slu.org.

19 5 月, 2026
Gros Islet open Blackheart with 15-0 rout

The 2026 Blackheart/Saint Lucia Football Association (SLFA) Knockout Tournament delivered a stunning opening day of knockout-stage action Sunday at Philip Marcellin Grounds in Vieux Fort, as Gros Islet ran riot against Laborie to secure the first berth in the tournament’s quarterfinal round. The Northern Zone Under-20 boys’ champions left no doubt about their title contention from the opening whistle, piling on 15 unanswered goals in one of the most lopsided results of the regional tournament this season. Joining Gros Islet in the final eight is Dennery, the Eastern Zone titleholders, who secured a hard-fought 3-1 win over Vieux Fort North to advance.

Gros Islet’s offensive onslaught began early, with Mickel Castang breaking the deadlock in the 8th minute of play. Prolific forward Rickelme Lionel doubled the side’s lead just five minutes later, sparking a chaotic first half that saw wave after wave of Gros Islet attacks. Devaj Edward and Kendrick Antoine found the back of the net in quick succession, before Castang completed a first-half hat-trick to extend the gap. Edward notched his second of the half, and Thierry Morille added another to push the scoreline to 8-0 by halftime.

The second half brought no relief for a overwhelmed Laborie side. Just 10 minutes after the restart, Edward completed his hat-trick, extending Gros Islet’s lead to nine. Traylan Henry got on the scoresheet next, before Lionel bagged two more goals to extend his personal tally for the match. Morille scored his second of the game, and Ernitus Edward closed out the dominant win with a late brace in the final five minutes of regulation to seal the 15-0 rout.

In the day’s second knockout fixture, Dennery got off to a fast start against Vieux Fort North, with Corin Hunte putting the Eastern side ahead as early as the 7th minute. Vieux Fort North responded quickly, however, with Keshawn Charles finding the equalizer in the 19th minute to draw the match level heading into halftime. The balance of play shifted in the second half, as Bourne Innocent found the back of the net twice — in the 65th and 85th minutes, respectively — to lock in the 3-1 win and punch Dennery’s ticket to the quarterfinals.

The knockout round action kicked off earlier in the weekend with three tense qualifying matches to decide the final teams advancing to the Round of 16. Roseau Valley claimed a clean 2-0 win over Babonneau, with Neeshaun Polius leading the side with both goals on the day. In another qualifying fixture, Micoud secured a 2-0 shutout victory over Marchand, with Raven Marshall opening the scoring early in the match to set up the upset win. That result sends Micoud through to the Round of 16.

The most dramatic qualifying finish came in the clash between Mon Repos and Desruisseaux. Down a player with just one substitute available for the match, Mon Repos pulled off a last-gasp 3-2 win over Desruisseaux in a tightly contested affair. Janhnil Jn Baptiste put Desruisseaux ahead early, before Tonio St Rose equalized in the 23rd minute and Tashawn Walter put Mon Repos ahead just four minutes later, holding a 2-1 lead going into halftime. Late in the second half, Janhnil Jn Baptiste leveled the score again in the 88th minute, setting up a dramatic finish. It was Andreas Jn Baptiste, Janhnil’s namesake, who scored the winning goal for Mon Repos in the third minute of stoppage time to clinch the comeback win and a spot in the Round of 16.

Round of 16 action is set to continue Wednesday, May 20 at Philip Marcellin Grounds, with two matches on the schedule: Castries Central will square off against South Castries, and Vieux Fort South will face the newly qualified Mon Repos side.

19 5 月, 2026
Police charge man after Glock part seized in Castries raid

A coordinated, multi-unit law enforcement operation targeting high-priority areas across multiple communities in Castrie has led to the arrest and formal charging of a local man, after investigators recovered a identifiable part of a prohibited firearm during a court-authorized search.

The enforcement action, carried out on Wednesday, May 13, brought together three specialized divisions of the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (RSLPF): the Gangs, Narcotics and Firearms Unit, the Special Services Unit, and the Central Intelligence Unit. Planning for the operation centered on three key neighborhoods: Wilton Yard, Grass Street, and Leslie Land, where law enforcement teams carried out searches of four separate residential structures in the area.

Acting on a judicially approved search warrant, officers entered the Leslie Land residence of Elijah Benjamin Khodra, a man also known locally by the alias “Beh Ben”. During the systematic search of the property, investigators uncovered a part confirmed to be the backplate for a Glock pistol, a classified firearm component under Saint Lucian law.

Following the recovery, Khodra was taken into police custody and formally charged with possession of an unlicensed weapon component, a violation of Section 22(3) of the island’s Firearm Act. He made his initial appearance shortly after at the First District Court for a bail hearing, where the judge granted his release on $15,000 in cash bail, or an alternative acceptable surety bond.

In a public statement released after the operation, the RSLPF reaffirmed its longstanding commitment to cracking down on individuals connected to illegal weapons, gang activity, and other organized crime across the island, with the core goal of reestablishing a sense of safety and security for all Saint Lucian residents.

To continue advancing these public safety efforts, law enforcement officials are calling on members of the public with any knowledge of ongoing criminal activity in their communities to share what they know. Tips can be submitted by visiting the nearest local police station, calling the dedicated Crime Hotline at 555, or using the RSLPF’s official Crime Hotline mobile application, which is available for download on the Google Play Store for Android users.

19 5 月, 2026