Fri, Dec 19, 2014

by: Michael F Charles

COMMISSIONER OF POLICE

Christmas is undoubtedly one of the best events for me personally during the year. It is so for a number of reasons – firstly, it is the time when we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. His birth over 2,000 years ago ushered in a joy that no one else can bring and it is that same joy that we share and enjoy today with our families, friends and visitors to our beautiful island. Secondly, barring a few incidents, Christmas is one of the most peaceful and solemn periods of the year- during this period, a certain kind of brotherly love and care emanates from Vincentians like no other time of the year.{{more}}

Moreover, Christmas in St Vincent and the Grenadines is unique. This can be attributed to our Nine Mornings festival (which is over 100 years old according to historians). This festival is incomparable to other similar festivals anywhere – it brings out the creative nature of our people; it’s a Vincentian experience one simply cannot afford to miss at this time of the year. As a nation, we are blessed in so many ways; it therefore behooves us to be thankful to Almighty God.

Fellow Vincentians, 2014 has been a challenging year for policing in St Vincent and the Grenadines. Since creation, maintaining law and order has and continues to be a mammoth task – the same holds true in St Vincent and the Grenadines today. As your Commissioner of Police, I want to assure that this task is surmountable – and while the safety and security of our nation rests squarely on the ‘shoulders’ and ‘backs’ of the police force, fulfilling this awesome responsibility becomes easier when every member of the society plays his/her part in safeguarding the safety and security of our nation from criminals and other nefarious elements.

As 2014 nears its culmination, as an organisation it is critical that we take time to reflect on our past achievements and our strengths and weaknesses in the year, with a view of formulating strategies to improve on our strengths, minimise our weaknesses and plan ahead for the future.

In 2014, there has been a marked increase in the crime detection rate. Due to the unwavering and hard investigative work of police officers and the cooperation received from members of the public, we were able to successfully solve a number of outstanding crimes. This means that more criminals are ‘behind bars’ and not in a position to continue their assaults on our law abiding citizens. Our police officers continue to receive the highest levels of training and development in practical policing matters and in academia, both local and overseas.

The Royal St Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force in 2014, held the largest summer camp for youths in SVG. Over 150 young people from throughout the length and breath of the island and the Police Youth Club coordinators converged at the Pamelus Burke Primary School to take part in this successful event. There are now 24 established Police Youth Clubs in St Vincent and the Grenadines, with new ones expected to be established soon. This initiative by the police has not only impacted positively on the lives of our nation’s youths, but it has also reduced the rates of juvenile delinquency and youth violence in our beloved country. The Police Youth Clubs, coupled with the Pan against Crime Initiative, has helped to negate the many negative influences that our youths are exposed to every day and has created the avenue for them to channel their energies into something positive. To date, 12 community steel orchestras and one school steel orchestra have been established, while two schools were assisted with pans, as part of the Pan against Crime Initiative.

Despite our successes, we have had our shortcomings as well. We have seen increases in serious crimes, especially in gun related activities. We have also seen an increase in praedial larceny committed against our hard working farmers. It is unacceptable for our farmers, after working hard on their farms, to be denied an income through the theft of their livestock and root crops, by criminals. I know that this is a vexing issue nationally; therefore, I give you the assurance that come 2015, the rural constables would be re-trained and re-organised in a manner so as to make them more efficient at their task and bring about a reduction in these and other crimes.

As per usual during this season, there is increased economic activity in and around Kingstown. Consequently, criminals and those with criminal intentions are often in a state of readiness to rob persons of their property. I want to assure the business community and their customers that the police will continue to serve and protect you from the criminals. police officers from the various departments will be out on patrol in and around Kingstown in their usual numbers to ensure that the corporate sector and all law abiding citizens conduct their business in peace and safety during this festive season.

Fortunately, a batch of 51 recruits graduated on December 18, 2014, after completing their training at the Old Montrose Police Training School. Be assured that most of these officers, along with other senior personnel, will be deployed in Kingstown and its suburbs to ensure safety and security among our citizens.

I wish at this time to congratulate all of the officers who were either promoted, recognised or rewarded during 2014. Let me remind you that the further up the hierarchy you go, the greater your responsibilities to the public. Please do not wallow in promotion, be a responsible leader and get the job done.

During this festive season, I urge you to exercise restraint in your eating and drinking. Please do not drink and drive because that is a recipe for a catastrophic and painful disaster – always have a designated driver on board if you feel that you must “take one for the stomach’s sake”. Secure your homes and properties before leaving home or work, or retiring to bed. Do not carry around larges sums of monies and valuables with you – this can only make you an easy target for the criminals.

Fellow citizens, given the nature of a police officer’s job, we are always on duty as there is hardly a time when we can safely say that we are “off”. Nonetheless, we seldom find time to add a little bit of ‘play’ to our serious work in the form of a Christmas Caroling Competition. Accordingly, you are cordially invited to join us as we relieve some ‘work stress’ at our annual Christmas Caroling Competition at the Central Police Station compound today (December 19, 2014), commencing at 7:30 p.m. Come and celebrate the festive season with us. We value your partnership highly.

I want to further assure you that in 2015 God’s willing, the Police High Command and officers stationed in the out-districts will embark on a number of “walk-throughs” in your communities to further solidify our partnership with you and improve on our community policing strategy. Our hope is to give you the assurance that we care and we are here to serve you. As an organisation, we can only do well by ourselves, but together, we can and will do better. We look forward to working with you and all of our stakeholders in 2015 and beyond in keeping our country safe and secure.

As I conclude, I wish to thank His Excellency, The Governor General, Sir Frederick Ballantyne for his support and cooperation; Prime Minister Dr the Hon. Ralph E Gonsalves and his Cabinet for their support (materially and otherwise) to the police force; all public servants, superintendent of prisons and staff, members of the judiciary (including staff at the offices of the Attorney General and Director of Public Prosecutions), members of the clergy and other faith-based organisations, civil society, non-governmental organisations and civilian staff of the police force for your steadfast support throughout 2014.

I want to say a special thank you to the media. At times, you have been our friend and our foe. However, we sincerely thank you for your partnership for without you, it would have been difficult for us to get our ‘message’ out to the public.

Finally, a big thank you to the men and women of the Royal St Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force and its Auxiliary Forces for your continued support and dedication to duty in 2014. I wish to also thank your families for their sacrifices and understanding. They appreciate and understand that your responsibilities as police officers often keep you away from them and for that they must be commended.

To the entire nation, I wish you a blessed Christmas and a healthy, prosperous and safe 2015. May the Almighty God continue to bless you and our nation.