CASTRIES, St. Lucia CMC – National Security Minister Guy Mayers has cautioned the media here against providing too much publicity to criminals as the authorities move to quell rising the crime situation in St. Lucia.
In a statement, Mayers said that the media must be responsible in their reporting of the situation and cited a case where an individual who was well known to the police was allowed prime time television coverage to tell law enforcement authorities that he had more fire power than the police.
Mayers said that a month or two later, the un-named individual was linked to the murder of a police officer and the injury to another as the police officers escorted a cash deposit for a private business concern.
“People say with their mouth what’s in their heart and so we have to be careful what we allow people to say publicly and how we play this out, because the same police officers we allow these persons to ridicule and publicly threaten are the same police we call when we are in trouble,” Mayers said.
The Home Affairs Minister said that the media was also providing a voice for people who complain when the police take action but who would refrain from condemning the activities of the criminals
“It is interesting that everybody sees and has a report to make when the police is required to shoot someone to restrain them, but nobody hears or sees when criminals gangs go about their business gunning down each other and innocent by-standers on the streets.
“What we do hear are complaints from the public about what government was doing about the level of crime, and that they are feeling unsafe as a result of gun fire during the day and at all hours of the night,” Mayers added.
However, some sections of the media have accused Mayers of seeking to stifle pres freedom and called for journalists to do their work without being influenced. (CMC)
