Saint Lucia: Information on the Castries gang, including structure, areas of operation and activities; information on gang-related activities in Saint Lucia, particularly in Castries; and government response to such activities (2015-July 2017)

Information on a gang in Saint Lucia called the Castries gang could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. For information on the presence of gangs in Castries and government response to crime between 2011 and 2014, see the Response to Information Request LCA10498 of November 2014. The following information may also be of interest.

1. Gang-related Crime in Saint Lucia

In a report submitted to the UN Human Rights Council in September 2015 as part of the country's Universal Periodic Review, the government of Saint Lucia states that "[i]n recent years, Saint Lucia has had the unfortunate experience of dealing with a myriad of gang related activity" (Saint Lucia 29 Sept. 2015 para. 63).

According to a survey of public perceptions on security in six Eastern Caribbean countries, including in Saint Lucia, conducted between January and March of 2016 by the Latin America Public Opinion Project (LAPOP) [1], 87 percent of respondents in the surveyed countries stated that "gangs had little or no effect in their neighbourhood" adding that, "overall, perceptions of gang activity across all [surveyed] countries are low" (LAPOP 27 March 2016, 32).

According to the US Department of State's 2017 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report, "[m]any of the homicides that… occur [in seven Eastern Carribean countries, including in Saint Lucia] are a result of turf wars between organized groups fighting for control of drug distribution" (US March 2017, 151). An April 2015 editorial on gang culture in Saint Lucia by The Voice, a Saint Lucian newspaper, notes that "much of the [gun violence which occurred in previous months] seems to centre on ongoing feuds among rival gangs and/ or communities who seem intent on protecting their turfs at any possible costs" (The Voice 9 Apr. 2015). An August 2015 article by the news website St. Lucia News Online similarly states that, according to a Saint Lucia Royal Police Force (STRPF) official, "[the police] force has recognized that [the] firearm seems to be the weapon of choice used in gang rivalry and a number of homicides" (St. Lucia News Online, 16 Aug. 2015).

According to the US Department of State's Barbados and Grenada 2017 Crime and Safety Report, which provides information on the Eastern Caribbean, there were 28 murders committed in Saint Lucia in 2015 (US 26 Apr. 2017). The same source further states that there were 30 murders and 32 shootings reported in Saint Lucia in 2016, adding that the murder rate in Saint Lucia was 16 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2016 (US 26 Apr. 2016). Statistics Canada reports that in 2015 the murder rate in all of Canada was 1.68 per 100,000 (Canada 23 Nov. 2016).

A July 2017 article by St. Lucia Times, a news website, states that, according to the country's National Security Minister, Saint Lucia "is facing an unprecedented crime wave," with 29 homicides already recorded in 2017 (St. Lucia Times 1 July 2017).

2. Violent Crime in Castries

An August 2015 article in The Voice, states that, according to police statistics, out of 10 murders reported in the country in the first half of 2015, 7 took place in Castries (The Voice 11 August 2015). Information on the number of homicides committed in Castries in 2016 and 2017 could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

A January 2016 article in the weekly newspaper St. Lucia Star states that Grass Street in Castries is "one of the most troubled areas in the city," adding that, "a casual walk through the area reveals that like the Grave Yard to the other end of Chaussee [Road], it is a home for predominantly male youth who find an identity in 'badness'" (St. Lucia Star 30 January 2016). The Voice similarly reports that Wilton's Yard, also known as the Graveyard, near Chaussee Road, is affected by violence (The Voice 21 Apr. 2015). A May 2017 government of Canada travel advisory states that travellers to Saint Lucia should "avoid the districts of Marchand, Broglie, St. Grass, St. Leslie Land, and Wilton['s] Yard, located off of Chaus[s]ee Road which have high rates of crime" (Canada 19 May 2017).

2.1 Incidents of Gang-related Violence

According to an August 2015 article by The Voice, three people were killed on Chaussee Road in Castries (The Voice 11 Aug. 2015). The same source states that the police deemed that all but one of the murders that were committed on Chaussee Road in the first half of 2015 were gang related (The Voice 11 Aug. 2015). An April 2015 article by St. Lucia News Online on the murder of one of the three people adds that "[r]esidents of several inner-city communities have blamed teen gangsters for the recent outbreak of violence in Castries, which have claimed four lives, so far" (St. Lucia News Online 9 Apr. 2015).

In an April 2015 interview with The Voice taken after shootings in Wilton's Yard, a person described as an "affected individual" with ties to the community states that violence in the area can be contributed to personal vendettas which cause "a vicious circle of death and violence which only exists within 'ghetto communities' like Wilton's Yard" (The Voice 21 April 2015).

According to May 2017 media articles, one person was killed and others were injured during an incident in the Marchand area in Castries attributed to gang violence (St. Lucia Times 25 May 2017; St. Lucia News Online 18 May 2017). According to an article in St. Lucia Times, the incident took place "in what is reported to be an ongoing war among rival gangs in the Marchand community" (St. Lucia Times 25 May 2017). St. Lucia News Online reports that, according to one Marchand resident, "[the gang] war is believed to be between a small gang and a larger, more organised gang – both from Castries inner-city communities" (St. Lucia News Online 18 May 2017). An article by St. Lucia Times quotes the area residents as saying that there was a conflict involving "young men from the neighbourhoods of Boulevard, Black Mallet and Arundell Hill, all within the Marchand community" (St. Lucia Times 27 May 2017).

3. Government Response to Gang Violence in Castries

According to an April 2015 editorial by The Voice, "there has not been a single case cited where the [Anti-Gang Act of 2014, which criminalizes gang activities] was used (The Voice 9 Apr. 2015). Further information on the implementation of the Anti-Gang Act could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

The editorial also states that the STRPF "continues to be plagued by its own weakness in numbers and morale" in its fight against gang-related crime (9 April 2015). A July 2017 article by St. Lucia Times quotes the National Security Minister as saying that the "police force has been neglected over the last few years and police stations are dilapidated with limited training opportunities for officers" (St. Lucia Times 1 July 2017). According to a May 2017 article by St. Lucia Times, the mayor of Castries pledged, after incidents of violence in the Marchand community, to "do all within the power of the [Castries Constituencies Council] to make the city a safer place," (St. Lucia Times 25 May 2017). The same source states that the mayor is "hoping" to increase the number of law enforcement officers in the city and said that after current recruits complete their training, "we will have at least between 45 and 50 new city police (St. Lucia Times 25 May 2017). Further and corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

A May 2017 article by St. Lucia News Online on shootings in the Marchand community states that the residents of the area are, according to a police official, "not willing to go on record to give evidence to bring the perpetrators to justice" (St. Lucia News Online 18 May 2017). According to a May 2017 article by the St. Lucia Times, the mayor of Castries similarly stated that "some people turn a blind eye to criminal activity happening right under their nose" and "called on the members of the community to play their part in the fight against crime" (St. Lucia Times 25 May 2017).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Note

[1] The Latin American Public Opinion Project (LAPOP) focuses on researching public opinion in the Americas. LAPOP is hosted by the Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN and is supported by USAID (LAPOP n.d.)

References

Canada. 19 May 2017. Travel.gc.ca. "Saint Lucia." [Accessed 10 July 2017]

Canada. 23 November 2016. Statistics Canada. "Homicide Offences, Number and Rate, by Province and Territory. (Homicide rate)." [Accessed 10 July 2017]

Latin American Public Opinion Project (LAPOP). 27 March 2016. Juan Carlos Donoso. Edited by Elizabeth J. Zechmeister, Daniel Montalvo, Carole Wilson and Nicole Hinton. LAPOP Americas Barometer Report on Citizen Security in Six Countries in the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States. [Accessed 7 July 2017]

Latin American Public Opinion Project (LAPOP). N.d. "About Us." [Accessed 7 July 2017]

Saint Lucia. 29 September 2015. National Report Submitted In Accordance with Paragraph 5 of the Annex to Human Rights Council Resolution 16/2. (A/HRC/WG.6/23/LCA/1) [Accessed 5 July 2017]

St. Lucia News Online. 18 May 2017. "Marchand Residents Blame Gang War for Recent Shootings, Homicide." [Accessed 6 July 2017]

St. Lucia News Online. 16 August 2015. "Overall Crime Rate Increases in Saint Lucia." [Accessed 14 July 2017]

St. Lucia News Online. 9 April 2015. "Younger Gang Members "Far More Dangerous" – Minister." [Accessed 19 June 2017]

St. Lucia Star. 30 January 2016. "The Walcotts' 'Trusted House.'" [Accessed 6 July 2017]

St. Lucia Times. 1 July 2017. "National Security Minister Says Unprecedented Crime Wave Hitting St Lucia." [Accessed 1 July 2017]

St. Lucia Times. 27 May 2017. "Marchand Violence Blamed on 'Troublesome Individuals.'" [Accessed 6 July 2017]

St. Lucia Times. 25 May 2017. "Castries Mayor Denounces City Violence." [Accessed 5 July 2017]

United States (US). 26 April 2017. Department of State. Barbados and Grenada 2017 Crime and Safety Report. [Accessed 6 June 2017]

United States (US). March 2017. Department of State. International Narcotics Control Strategy Report. [Accessed 6 July 2017]

The Voice. 11 August 2015. Micah George. "Police Release Half-Year Statistics - Gangs Turf the City." [Accessed 5 July 2017]

The Voice. 21 April 2015. "Wilton's Yard - Birth of a Ghost Town." [Accessed 7 July 2017]

The Voice. 9 April 2015. "Disrupt the Gang Violence." [Accessed 6 July 2017]

Additional Sources Consulted

Internet sites, including: Amnesty International; Association of Caribbean Commissioners of Police; Caribbean Community; ecoi.net; Freedom House; Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces; Guns Policy; Human Rights Watch; International Drug Policy Consortium; Inter-American Development Bank; International Security Sector Advisory Team; INTERPOL; Saint Lucia – Government; Royal Police Force; Transnational Institute; UN – Development Programme, Office on Drugs and Crime, Refworld.