 Prime Minister and Minister for National Security, Hon. Philip J. Pierre has laid the groundwork to construct a new detention facility where custody suites once stood. The custody suites, you know, we speak about crime, crime, crime, we're very concerned about crime. But the basic, one of the basic problems is when your receipts, you must get somebody to put them. The last government destroyed the custody suites and no one has accounted for it. Why would you destroy a holding cell, a holding place for people who are arrested? In 2020, the buildings which housed custody suites and the Central Police Station, situated on Bridge Street, Cass Trees, were completely demolished. The demolition pitted the government in a legal dispute with the St. Lucia National Trust. The trust sought injunctive relief in the court to halt the destruction of the custody suites buildings. The trust unsuccessfully attempted to save what was one of the oldest buildings in Cass Trees. The British constructed the Royal Jail, also known as Her Majesty's Prison, in the 1820s in St. Lucia. Throughout the demolition of custody suites in 2020, these historic buildings endured for over a century in St. Lucia's capital. The police have been adversely affected by the destruction of custody suites. Logistical challenges persist. We started working it and hopefully we should get the custody suites in the next nine months. We should have the police as far as being able to detain people when they are arrested. Right now, if there is somebody in Cass Trees, they will be able to marry, go ancillary, denry, as far as suffering to hold him, or just release him. And these are the short-sighted things that happened and we pay in for it. Respite for the trust came via a court settlement with the government and a statement by the Office of the Attorney General on April 21st, 2023. Quote, the government admits that the demolition contravened the clear terms of the written undertaking. The government unreservedly acknowledges to the trust its breach of the specific provisions of the written undertaking that mandated it to hold further consultations prior to the demolition of the historic Royal Jail. Meanwhile, a reprieve for the police is on the horizon. Prime Minister Pierre has given assurances the construction of a new detention facility to safely and securely hold detainees will be complete by the end of 2023. From the Office of the Prime Minister, Rihani Isidou.