The Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (RSLPF) has announced a notable reduction in the most serious crimes across the island for the first nine months of 2025, though homicides and gun-related offenses remain a persistent concern. The update was delivered at a press conference led by Police Commissioner Verne Garde.
Highlighting organizational improvements, Commissioner Garde noted “we augmented our supervisory core by almost 52 new supervisors. That was one of the most significant supervisory shifts that we have seen in the history of the organization. We’re talking about giving us several more inspectors to add on the inspectors that we have in the organization, several more sergeants, several more corporals.”
The press briefing also addressed the circumstances surrounding the death of K9 Officer Tyson, which had initially sparked concern over possible poisoning. Assistant Commissioner of Police Luke Defreitas provided clarification on the matter. “With Commissioner’s permission, I do have right before me the report of the pathologist and he basically indicated that the cause of death of K9 officer Tyson was internal bleeding and he suggested that it more than likely was as a result of rat bait poisoning, to put it in layman terms” he said.
However, forensic analysis has complicated the initial findings. Defreitas explained, “We have now received the report from the forensic lab, and it indicates that there was no rat poison detected from any of the samples that were provided from the carcass of the K9 officer. It means, therefore, at this point, we need to have a sit-down with the pathologist and have a review of the findings of the cause of death.”
The RSLPF emphasized its commitment to continued crime reduction while investigating the K9 officer’s death, reflecting ongoing efforts to strengthen both law enforcement capacity and public confidence.
