The Royal St Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force (RSVGPF) held a closing ceremony for the Florida National Guard State Partnership Programme Military Police Operations on Friday, February  10, 2023, at the Argyle Fire Station compound.

The event was officially opened by Commissioner of Police, Colin John on February 7, 2023, and the course was held for four days until its conclusion.

The course aimed to provide support to the RSVGPF response teams’ capabilities and responsiveness to police activities. Participants were exposed to a range of teaching principles and techniques that would provide them with the foundational skills necessary for responding to any eventualities.

The following theoretical and practical subject areas were taught: House Clearing, Active Shooter, and Civil Disturbance.

Twenty-eight officers from several Units within the RSVGPF, namely: Special Services Unit, Rapid Response Unit, Calliaqua Police Station, Special Patrol, Narcotics, and the Criminal Investigations Department participated in the training course.

The Instructors were Lieutenant (LT), Skyler Philbin, Staff Sergeant (SSG) David Fabelo, Sergeants (Sgts), Brandon Diaz, Almont King, and Garfield Ferdinand of the Florida National Guard.

According to Course Director, Lieutenant William Theobalds, the students made constructive and consistent progress throughout the course and expressed satisfaction with the quality of instructions. He outlined that some students lacked confidence initially in their practical evolutions but improved tremendously on the culminating exercise.

He further noted that the Instructors performed credibly and give a good account of themselves. He stated that they were knowledgeable of the subject areas listed in the syllabus and demonstrated an ability to conduct lessons using a variety of methods.

Commissioner of Police, Colin John advised the participants to be cautious in the execution of their duties and urged them to use the training received to advance their careers as police officers. He suggested that since people were chosen from various units, working together in various operations would be more advantageous. He also mentioned the expanding crime trend in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and the challenges in containing it.

Frankie Joseph, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Assistant Superintendant of Police, (ASP) Ronald Benjamin, and Inspector Markneal Ellis were also in attendance.

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