The Anti-Trafficking in Persons Unit (ATIPU) of the Royal St Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force is now better equipped to carry out its day-to-day operations, following a donation of Information Technology (IT) equipment,{{more}} valued at EC $24,750, compliments the Mustique Charitable Trust (MCT).

The donation, which includes a laptop, projector and printer, were handed over last Friday, during a ceremony held at the conference room of the police headquarters in Kingstown.

Trustee Basil Charles said the donation was made as part of efforts to assist the unit in executing its work more efficiently.

“The Trust is very pleased and happy with the work that you are doing…

“This is to help in doing your research and making the work much easier,” Charles said.

“We know this is a very hard and difficult task. I don’t know much about the trafficking in humans, so I can’t say a lot about that. But I think this is a very serious and complex matter and the Trust is very happy to help in whatever way we can,” he added.

This is the second grant the MCT has made to the Royal St Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force. The first grant, delivered in two phases, was valued at EC $17,340, in support of the Drug Awareness Reinforcement Education Unit (DARE).

The Anti-Trafficking in Persons Unit was established in the Royal St Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force on March 7, 2012, with a mandate to investigate possible cases of trafficking in persons, prosecute suspected traffickers, train law enforcement officers and other officials in the detection of trafficking in persons, sensitize the public about trafficking in persons through awareness programmes and to submit quarterly reports to the Minister of National Security on all pertinent matters concerning trafficking in persons.

“To make this donation is to say to us that we are partnering with you and to accept this donation this morning, we are saying to you we accept your partnership and we are going to go together in the fight in human trafficking in St Vincent and the Grenadines,” head of the Unit ASP Ruth Hazel-Ann Jacobs said.

To date, the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Unit has successfully conducted awareness campaigns in 21 primary schools reaching 529 students, and 13 secondary schools, with a total of 8,367 students benefiting.(AA)