Police keeping order in Dominica as Hurricane Maria deaths reach 27

Last updated: September 27, 2017 at 15:49 pm

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The police chief in Dominica has confirmed that at least 27 people were killed by category five Hurricane Maria last week.

At the moment 18 people remain missing, so the final death toll could rise.

During a press conference, Daniel Carbon said that his officers had been kept busy dealing with incidents across the country.

Four inmates broke out of prison over the weekend, but WIC News understands that two of them are now back in custody.

But the issue of “massive looting” has been a major concern for his force.

“I can report that immediately following the passage of Hurricane Maria, we have had massive looting,” he said.

“Several business places in the city of Roseau and to a less extent in the town of Portsmouth had looting.”

He said that to date 40 arrests have been made in relation to criminal matters and 86 people who violated the curfew – which is active from 4pm to 8am – have also been arrested.

Crime wastes Dominica’s resources

Speaking yesterday, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit expressed disappointment over disorder.

“We have to be orderly. We have to be respectful of the authorities. If the police have to be diverting their attention to bring orderliness there is an unnecessary distraction,” he said.

“I should be using all of the police officers we have in assisting and delivering supplies.”

Additional security officers have been provided by neighbouring Caribbean states, and Carbon believes the situation is now under control.

More images showing the state of #Dominica following Hurricane Maria https://t.co/onFPE52a0X pic.twitter.com/AmUr0XY1Bg

— WIC News (@WIC_News) September 22, 2017

“As the prime minister has stated, the police force was very challenged, as it relates to search and recovery and dealing with the massive looting, but we now have the situation under control, we have our regional colleagues here and they are helping us in that regard,” he said.

Deputy police chief Davidson Valerie, who also spoke at the press conference, said that despite "repeated efforts on many occasions" by officers, mobs of looters "would move from one location to another."