Police say more criminals are using modified firearms, including guns with extended and high-capacity magazines.
Guns continue to play a major role in killings on the island. Of the 48 homicides recorded between January 1 and September 23, 36 involved firearms, making up 77% of the cases.
The Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (RSLPF) says homicides are down from 59 during the same period in 2025. Investigators have solved 22 homicides so far this year, including one case carried over from 2025.
The figures formed part of a broader crime update presented at the RSLPF’s monthly press conference on Thursday by Superintendent Delvin Mathurin, who is in charge of the Central Intelligence Unit and the Gangs, Narcotics and Firearms Unit.
Mathurin said police remain very concerned about the ongoing use of guns in homicides and attempted murders.
“The consistent use of firearms to perpetrate homicides and the attempted murders underscores the ongoing issue of the proliferation of weapons through our borders,” he said, adding that the situation points to the need for stronger collaboration among agencies involved in firearm suppression.
Police recovered 46 firearms during the period under review, 37 of which were classified as lethal and 9 as “less lethal”.
Pistols accounted for the overwhelming majority of the recoveries, with 31 seized. Police also recovered one rifle, four shotguns and one revolver, along with three air rifles, two air pistols and other weapons, including imitation firearms.
Officers also seized 1,580 rounds of live ammunition and 40 firearm-related components or accessories. Among them were 33 magazines, as well as extended magazines and firearm receiver components.
Mathurin said those seizures are giving police further insight into the types of weapons being used and traded.
“These findings point to an ongoing trend where we see that criminals tend to prefer and have leaned to the modification of their firearms when they’re trading guns, particularly through the use of the extended and high-capacity magazines,” he said.
The homicide figures also showed a significant gender disparity among victims, with males accounting for 94%. Five female homicide victims were recorded during the period.
Beyond homicides and firearms, police recorded 10,061 crimes across Saint Lucia between January 1 and September 23. That represented 474 fewer crimes than during the corresponding period in 2025.
Of this year’s total, 2,483 crimes were recorded in the Northern Division, 3,633 in the Central Division and 3,945 in the Southern Division.
Police also examined seven priority crime categories. They recorded 321 burglaries, 131 robberies, 222 drug offences, 172 firearm offences, 85 stolen motor vehicles, 243 cases of stealing from a person and 136 sexual offences.
