CASTRIES, St Lucia (CMC) – Jamaican investigators probing alleged extrajudicial killings by members of the Royal St Lucia Police Force (RSPF) have found that a “blacklist or death list” existed, Prime Minister Dr Kenny Anthony has said.

In a radio and television address on Sunday night, Prime Minister Anthony also said that the investigators had found that police had staged “fake encounters” to legitimise their actions and that “all police officers involved in the unlawful killings of citizens in respect of the files reviewed must be prosecuted.”

In 2013, the St Lucia Government enlisted the help of the Jamaican police to investigate the RSLPF following a decision by the United States to withdraw security-related assistance after claims of human rights violations.

In August 2013, Washington suspended all forms of assistance to the RSLPF, citing allegations of serious human rights violations.

“The Department of State has made a policy decision to withdraw training and material assistance to the Royal St Lucia Police Force due to credible allegations of gross human rights violations,” the US State Department said in a statement then.

As a result, Police Commissioner Vernon Francois was prevented from travelling to the US to represent the Regional Security Service (RSS) at a conference of Black Police Chiefs.

In his address, Prime Minister Anthony said that the report, a copy of which has been sent to the United States, confirms that “the blacklist or death lists” referenced by the media, human rights organisations, victim’s families, and citizens alike, did exist.

“More alarmingly, the investigators report that all the shootings reviewed were ‘fake encounters’ staged by the police to legitimise their actions,” he said, adding “that the weapons supposedly found on the scene of the alleged ‘extrajudicial killings’ were from sources other than the victims.

“The investigators say that the weapons were ‘planted on the scene of the shootings’ and that the investigators also advised that ‘a number of shootings were done by police officers and are listed on the murder statistic as being done by unknown assailants.

“Revealingly, the report suggests that ‘the crime problem in Saint Lucia is facilitated by corrupt politicians/government officials, business persons, and police officers,” Prime Minister Anthony said.

In his detailed report to the nation on the issue, Prime Minister Anthony said that of serious concern too, is the fact that the investigators also reported that in the course of the investigation, some senior officers did not cooperate with them.

“They reported that the main server of the computers used by some members of the High Command of the Police Force was deliberately tampered with. In two instances, the operating systems of the computers were altered to place the supposed contents beyond ‘the timeline of [the] investigation’ or probe.”

Anthony said the report has also recommended that some senior police officers be held accountable for their actions or for their failure to take appropriate action when the alleged killings occurred.

“The investigators also concluded that what operated during the period under review ‘was an environment of impunity and permissiveness designed to achieve the desired results. Wilful blindness existed in respect of the Commissioner of Police and particular members of his leadership and management team.”

He said: “The investigators have recommended that ‘all police officers involved in the unlawful killings of citizens in respect of the files reviewed must be prosecuted’.

“In all, the investigators made some 31 recommendations, many of which touch on the management and administration of the Police Force,” he added.

But Prime Minister Anthony said that his administration would not be making any statement regarding the guilt or innocence of the police officers involved and “the question whether anyone is to be prosecuted is solely for the Director of Public Prosecutions to determine after evaluating and assessing the probative value of the evidence placed before her.

“Likewise, it is for the courts to pronounce on the innocence or guilt of any person who may be charged. The most that the Executive Arm of the Government can do is to provide the resources to the Director of Public Prosecutions to carry out the duties and the responsibilities assigned to her by our Constitution. A copy of the report has now been made available to her.”

Prime Minister Anthony said that “save for some administrative adjustments that have now become necessary in the High Command of the Police Force, I am not here to nor will I order that police officers be charged or dismissed or offered packages to retire from the Police Force”.

Anthony said that there can be no question that St Lucia’s relationship with Washington is vital both to the island’s security and to the security of the United States.

“We cannot allow a situation where the chief custodian of our national security and other senior police officers in the High Command of the Police Force cannot travel to the United States for discussions on our shared security interests.

“Equally, it cannot be in the interest of our Police Force and I daresay, our country itself, that the skills of our officers cannot be improved because they are denied access to training once American sponsorship or funds are involved.

“More fundamentally, we cannot continue in a situation where we are viewed as a pariah State by our partners in the fight against crime and lawlessness. There is perhaps no subject of cooperation between states that require ‘trust’ more than co-operation in security matters.”

He said that his administration has decided that the training of police recruits will now include a module in human rights law and that all police officers will be required, in rotation, to attend training to sensitise them to the human rights provisions of the Constitution.

In addition, the Government intends to increase the pool of gazetted police officers and will make provision in this year’s Estimates of Expenditure for the appointment of special prosecutors to assist in the prosecution of any cases should the Director of Prosecutions so decide to prosecute.

He said the Cabinet will appoint a joint committee under his chairmanship to oversee the implementation of the report of the investigators.

“The Committee will include representatives of the Royal St Lucia Police Force and civilians,” Anthony said, adding that the Police Commissioner, who is currently on leave “will continue on leave until his current period of leave expires.

“I wish to make it clear however, that there will be personnel adjustments within the Police Force as we seek to effectively manage this transition and ensure optimal functioning of the Police Force. It is vital that this transition is orderly, peaceful and in accordance with our laws and practices,” he said defending the decision not to make the contents of the report public.

“Disclosure of the report would compromise continued investigations, place the lives of potential witnesses at risk and prejudice unfairly those who could face prosecution. The report relies on information provided by persons who spoke on condition of anonymity and we must, at all costs, protect the identity of the witnesses who spoke to the investigators.

Though these witnesses are not identified in the report, the evidence contained therein could give clues of their identity. Further, disclosure would mean that those who may have done wrong will have advanced warning of who said what to whom about what, when, why, and where. It is best, therefore, that disclosure awaits the filing of charges, if any, and the ensuing legal processes,” Prime Minister Anthony told the nation.

He said that the Government will continue to maintain the rule of law here and urged citizens to remember “that the vast majority of the men and women in our Police Force are decent, dedicated and committed police officers.

“Now more than ever, we need to rally around them as we all manage the outcome of this investigation,” he added.