SVG police receive forensic training

A total of 40 police officers from the Royal St Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force (SVGPF), are receiving advanced forensic training from a Detective Sergeant with the Toronto Police.

The training programme, being held at the Argyle Fire Station, commenced yesterday, July 15, 2024, and will conclude on Friday, July 19.

The initiative was developed in collaboration with the St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) Consul General in Canada, Fitzgerald Huggins, and Peter Gendi, a Detective Sergeant with the Toronto Police Service.

Gendi has served as a police officer in the Toronto Police Service since 2008, and works within the Forensic Identification Services(FIS) Unit.

Gendi, who is the main facilitator in this week’s training exercise, will lead the 40 officers through a rigorous programme which is designed to significantly enhance their forensic capabilities, and equip them with vital forensic skills.

“This training is a little bit of power point. I’ll say maybe 60-70 per cent hands on exercises, practice, scenarios, mock, crime scenes…court trials,” Gendi told the officers at an opening ceremony yesterday, July 15, as he gave them a glimpse into what the next few days will look like.

Assistant Commissioner of Police, Trevor Bailey, advised the officers not to see the programme as a few days off from work, but as an opportunity to develop their skills.

“It is not a mini holiday, but rather it is an investment by the RSVGPF in each and every one of you. We are all aware of the challenges that we face; and just over the weekend we had two more homicides, so we know for a fact that our homicides are of tremendous concern to not only us in law enforcement but to every…person in St Vincent and the Grenadines.”

Bailey told the officers that they may not be able to gather certain information with the naked eye, so it is critical that they learn the different processes that they can use when assessing evidence on crime scenes.

Superintendent of Police, Junior Simmons commended Consul General Huggins, who was present at the opening ceremony, for the significant role he played in conceptualising and propelling the programme.

Participants will delve into crucial aspects of crime scene investigation which includes establishing paths of contamination; documenting crime scenes; and locating, recording, collecting, and preserving evidence.

The police say the training will feature a blend of lectures and practical exercises, providing a well-rounded educational experience.

Also present at the opening ceremony were Acting Commissioner of Police Enville Williams; Superintendent of Police, Junior Simmons; and Lieutenant of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Coast Guard Services, William Theobalds. The Consul General also will be making a donation of crime scene kits to the RSVGPF.