​Fellow Saint Lucians, citizens, ladies and gentlemen, good evening to one and all!

In all the years that I have had the honour to serve you as Prime Minister, the issues on which I am about to address you, have  been among the most challenging and difficult. This is so for three reasons. Firstly, they call for extremely tough, courageous but necessary decisions. Secondly, the matters in question have tarnished the reputation of our country and brought considerable dishonor to our Police Force both at home and abroad. Thirdly, the issues touch a raw nerve, our battle against crime, violence and lawlessness in our midst. It is therefore, ironic that I am addressing you on this subject at this juncture, when, for the first time in more than a decade, we have not had a homicide in January or February.

All of this will be better understood if I place the issues in their proper context. In so doing, I will have to repeat some information which was the subject of a previous address to you on August 30, 2014. This is necessary not simply to remind you of the facts of the matter but equally to help you to better appreciate the complexity of the problem that faces us.

For the full text of the Prime Minister's speech, download the attached PDF.