“Policing With You” Highlight Women In Leadership In Law Enforcement
Basseterre, St. Kitts, March 11th, 2021 (ZIZ News) On the heels of International Women’s Day on Monday, a special episode of “Policing With You” highlighting women in leadership in the field of law enforcement aired on Thursday.
The programme featured two women, namely Inspector Shorna Francis-Edwards who is the first woman Commandant of the Police Training School and Chief Immigration Officer, Merclyn Hughes who was the first woman to attain the rank of Assistant Police Commissioner.
Inspector Francis-Edwards shared that law enforcement was not the first choice for her career path however Immigration Officer Hughes shared a different perspective stating that she always wanted to be a police officer.
[INSPECTOR FRANCIS-EDWARDS] “My policing career started on the first of April 1993, it was not my first choice-I wanted to become a teacher by my beloved aunt she persuaded me and she said “listen it’s a job if you don’t like it then you leave” but since I’ve taken up that mantle I have not put it down.”
[CHIEF IMMIGRATION OFFICER HUGHES] “I did not want to be anything but a police officer-I remember applying for nursing because you leave school, you’re looking around and when I sent the application for nursing I said Lord please let them say they don’t have any vacancy and exactly that happened-I got back a response to say there are no vacancies but they’re putting it on file but when I sent my application to the police I actually followed up, I kept calling.”
Both women spoke of their journey moving up the ranks within the police force, Hughes noted that when she became the head of the Strategic Intelligence Unit people were more forthcoming with information that would assist in solving crime.
She applauded the community policing initiative which is now implemented in the force.
“I am happy that we now have community policing as a major activity within the police force because it helps when you can get the public to assist the police and to trust the police in such a way that they feel compelled to see something and say something.”
Inspector Francis-Edwards said her journey was challenging yet rewarding and Officer Hughes credited the police force for shaping and molding her into the person she is today.
“Policing with You airs every Thursday on ZIZ radio at 9:15am during the “Morning Show” with GCue. It is also streamed live on ZIZ’s Facebook and YouTube pages.