 prime minister and minister for national security in accordance with the newly enacted police powers bill and in consultation with the commissioner of police by way of a statutory instrument as designated veer for south an area of escalated crime this was as a result of a spate of gun violence among feuding gangs in the veer for south area you know i mean i also live in so you know we constantly you always hang gun shots and stuff even that has to tell you the truth i i don't even know when was the last time from the from the time they started with all this um take back our community approach i you know things have gone really normal after that seven people were fatally shot over a 72 hour period my government recognizing the threat this surge in crime was likely to have had on the whole country acted swiftly and decisively in bringing a situation under control i want to force extend my heartfelt condolences to those families who were victims of the unnecessary and senseless homicides i would like to thank our local police for their fearlessness and determination to bring an end to the surge in criminal activities many thanks also goes to the regional security system for hitting the call for assistance in the fight against crime that was beginning to seriously disrupt everyday life for the people of your thoughts prime minister peers police powers act has been endorsed by the high command of the royal st lusia police force brilliant iris in st lusia doesn't mean that the men and women in the police force they're not capable of doing their work it gives us the opportunity especially now with the escalation of crime we will have more numbers in the ground so officers will be involved in patrolling doing operations to deal with the threats of national security whilst we can and remember in as much as they we are concerned about right now we are concerned about st lusia in its entirety so with the increasing numbers we can focus on few thoughts and as well focus in during this time on other areas in st lusia so it is a good thing that we have our assets to assist us in what is happening now along with support from a contingent from the regional security system the police powers act strengthens the hand of the police force to mount strategic operations to take immediate control of an area affected by escalated crime the police powers bill was introduced in parliament on march 16th social and commercial stability has since returned to veer for within two weeks since the police powers bill was passed in parliament i myself feel way more you know i feel safer business as now we've now seen some level of normalcy you know in terms of business and view thought to be honest i've seen a lot of ranking i ranking officers you know walking on the streets as i i guess that's created a level of reassurance a level of confidence you know for the general populace of your fault the statutory instrument that designates veer for south an area of escalated crime is scheduled to expire on may 16th 2023 from the office of the prime minister rihanni isado