Enhanced Crime Scene Investigation Course Closing Ceremony

Basseterre, St. Kitts—2nd August, 2013–The Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force conducted a four (4) day Crime Scene Investigation Course from Monday 22 July to Thursday 25 July 2013. This training is part of the continued efforts to enhance and update the skills and knowledge base of the officers of the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force.

The course was facilitated by Dr. Anita Seamans who is a detective with the Live Oak Police Department in Live Oak, Texas. Dr. Anita Seamans has been a Police Officer for 30 years, and Criminal Investigator for 19 years. She is a Law Enforcement Trainer and has been training Law Enforcement for 23 years.

There were a number of topics covered which include: Finger Printing, Photography, Sketching Crime Scene, Interviewing Witnesses, Collecting Evidence, Diagrams of Crime Scenes and Collecting DNA.

A segment of the course took the participants to Windsor University for a day to bring together the various first responders during an emergency. Such other first responders were Doctors, Emergency Room Staff, Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT’s), Nurses, Ambulance Drivers.

On Thursday 25 July 2013 the closing ceremony for the training course was held at the Police Training Complex. Dr. Seamans while giving the Course Overview stated that she was particularly impressed with the way in which the participants responded to the training by asking all the right questions.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Ian Queeley during his address stated that Dr. Anita Seamans and himself are both graduates of the FBI National Academy. He also stated that the development of the human resource is critical and it is the greatest asset the Force has. He further stated that the course will help the Force with scientific evidence to bring perpetrators to justice. Assistant Commissioner of Police Ian Queeley concluded by stating that our economy is moving from an Agro base and moving into a Service and a Tourism base sector, therefore it is important to present that investor confidence which will enable our country that growth and development that is required, and he congratulated the participants and thanked Dr. Anita Seamans and Major Coleman for the role they played.

Permanent Secretary Astona Brown during her address stated that she was pleased to witness that start and finish of the training course. She encouraged the officers to take advantage of the opportunity of acquiring knowledge and skills to manage the scenes of crimes, and to use internationally accepted standards to collect evidence that will assist with the prosecution and conviction of criminals.

Course Coordinator, Major Coleman stated that the request to conduct the course was made by Director of Forensics, Lieutenant Ancil Alexander. Major Coleman also stated that the course is very important because it provides the participants growth for the future, and a Forensics Unit is critical to any Police Force, in particular it helps the Violent Crime Unit and Criminal Investigation Department (CID). He further stated that the Forensic Unit is there to tell you what the evidence means; they properly gather it, pick it up and put it forward in court in an admissible fashion.

Major Coleman is the United Sates of America’s, Regional Legal Adviser for the Caribbean Office of Overeseas Prosecutorial Development Assistance and Training (OPDAT), and is the mentor to the Violent Crime Unit of the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force, and he has 43 years of experience in Law Enforcement.