Mayor of Castries, His Worship Peterson Francis, was on official visit to Trinidad and Tobago for a series of meetings.

The mayor said the meetings were geared towards building partnerships in an effort to improve and develop the City of Castries.

Having met with a several mayors—including the Mayor of Port of Spain, His Worship Joel Martinez; the Mayor of Arima, His Worship Morris Julien; and the Mayor of San Fernando, Alderman Junia Regrullo—Mayor Francis noted that without some level of autonomy from government, the Offices of the Mayors are hindered in their crime fighting efforts. His Worship indicated that the Trinidadian officials had been following the work of the Office of the Castries Mayor, and due largely to its success the Castries Mayor was invited to Trinidad for an official visit.

During the visit the Castries Mayor met with representatives of the Mounted and K9 Branches of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service, and the Commissioner of Police, Gary Griffith, to discuss crime control strategies within the City of Port of Spain. Mayor Francis explained that the flexibility within the City Police provides an added advantage.

His Worship also paid a courtesy visit to the Ambassador of Japan at the Embassy of Japan in Trinidad and Tobago.

Mayor Francis and his team returned to Saint Lucia on Sunday, Nov. 11.