RSVGPF receives computers to help fight crime

The Royal St Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force (RSVGPF) has secured 15 new computers which they assure will be used to decode crime patterns in Hairouna, and nothing more.

These computers and two scanners/printers were donated on Monday July 23 by the St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) Diaspora Committee of New York to the RSVGPF, in a ceremony held at the Central Police Station.

Chair of the Committee, Sherill-Ann Mason-Haywood, announced that the spark that started it all came from a conversation between one of the members, and an Inspector of police.

“Sometime last year, I believe, Garnes Byron, who is a member of the Diaspora Committee of New York, was having a casual conversation with Inspector Kim Dougan, and they started talking about technological needs,” she revealed.

Arising from this discussion of needs, was the first suggestion at a solution, she said.

“Garnes happens to work at an architectural firm that uses very high powered technological devices and so on, and they rotate these devices ever so often… and so in that conversation the thought came, why not re-purpose some of these to meet some of the needs locally,” Mason-Haywood explained.

Also speaking to the RSVGPF on their technological needs was committee member Theo Marshall, Mason-Haywood stated, who earlier this year had spoken to the Commissioner at length.

Following these conversations, the eight-year-old Diaspora Committee, whose goal is to find ways to improve institutions in SVG, decided to “pick up this opportunity.”

“I think, as you rightfully said, your goal in helping to preserve and protect the people of this country in a technological age, we need to make sure we’re moving with those times,” the Chair added.

Commissioner of Police, Colin John, said that the donation was a very timely one.

“At the moment we are involved in a USAID project, CARISECURE, where we’re trying to computerize the police force and we’re moving towards standardized database collection, so we can effectively fight crimes,” he said.

He followed this statement with the assurance that, “I’ve spoken to the persons from the IT department, to make sure that certain things are put in place that they would not be misused, in terms of persons downloading things that they’re not supposed to download on the computers, that the computers would be used primarily for business purposes, or for the purposes of solving crime.”

John thanked the committee for following through on the promise, noting “we know that they could have chosen several other organizations, they could have chosen persons to give them to, but you chose the organization.”

Leaving the committee Chair with a note of reassurance in the vote of thanks, Assistant Superintendent of Police Trevor Bailey stated, “This organization has many departments and sections, none of which is a game shop, so I can assure you that the computers will not be used for that purpose, but they will be used for the purpose for which they were intended – to enhance efficiency in the organization.”

Thirteen of the computers and the two printer/scanners were at the station for the ceremony, two remaining computers are en route and are to reach shortly.