Basseterre, St. Kitts, October 19, 2020 (RSCNPF): At a brief closing ceremony for the two-week Island Constables refresher course, Commissioner of Police Hilroy Brandy encouraged the participants to do their best and to make their country proud.
The course was held to prepare the Island Constables for the reopening of the borders. Ordinarily, they are assigned to Tourism Prescribed Areas, however, Commissioner Brandy noted their contribution to ensuring the Regulations were enforced when they were reassigned to other areas once the borders closed.
“You are Island Constables – proud, committed and a part of what connects the tourism sector and the national security apparatus. We have seen the extent to which you provided critical support to the Police during the State of Emergency. You have been an important source of assistance,” the Commissioner told them.
He cautioned that given the new measures being implemented, their job would not be getting easier. Nonetheless, Commissioner Brandy motivated the participants to execute their duties fairly and impartially and to always be respectful to the public.
“Your country needs you to perform and perform well. Do not be afraid to do your job. Do not allow yourselves to be intimidated. When you speak, you must be able to speak with confidence, but you can only do so if you know what you are about. That is why the refresher course was so important. It served to remind you of your roles and responsibilities, as well as to ensure you were abreast of the new measures that are being put in place.”
Island Constable Donna Bradshaw noted that the course was informative and constructive and said that, “we appreciate the opportunity that was given to refresh us on the ethics of law enforcement which would mould us into better [professionals].”
Supervisor for the Island Constables, Alex Marshall, also shared his sentiment on the course and asked them to, “…embrace and focus on working towards a common goal in executing [your] duties with professionalism, respect for each other, respect for the public, and keeping the standards of the organization at a high level.”
During the two weeks, the Island Constables reviewed topics such as Taking Command and Control, the Prescribed Area Act Statutory Rules and Regulations, Ethics in Law Enforcement and Traffic Protocol. Presentations by officials from the Ministry of Health were also made.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, October 14, 2020 (RSCNPF): National Disaster Coordinator, Abdias Samuel, educated the Island Constables on how their roles have evolved as a result of the changes to be put in place in preparation for the opening of the borders. He spoke to them during a session he facilitated on Tuesday, October 13 as part of a 2-week refresher course currently taking place at the Police Training School.
Mr. Samuel told the Island Constables about the new processes that will be rolled out at the RLB International Airport for persons arriving in the Federation and the “corridor of containment” which monitors the flow of people from the port of entry to where they will be staying for their vacation. It was designed to aid in contact tracing and controlling the movement of the persons arriving on island. He explained that travellers to the Federation will have to complete an online entry form and wait for permission from the Ministry of National Security. Mr. Samuel disclosed that upon arrival, persons will go through an extensive screening process and possible testing before they are allowed to leave the airport to be transported by COVID-19-certified taxis to approved hotels or quarantine sites on the island.
He also went through the quarantine sites and the four hotels (Marriott, Park Hyatt, Four Seasons and Koi Resort) that will be opening to visitors. He said that persons coming to the island from high risk countries will vacation-in-place at these hotels and will be offered limited excursion packages.
He urged the Island Constables to be on their guard and to safeguard themselves from possible exposure. He said “when they go to these places, we need vigilance [with] these persons so they don’t do anything to compromise or jeopardize our status. This is where the compliance comes in, so you need to be the eyes and ears for us to be able to see these individuals.”
“If we do not do our part and St. Kitts-Nevis starts to see a big outbreak, then we are going back into lock down,” said the National COVID-19 Task Force Chair, who went on to note that space and time are the Federation’s best weapons in the fight against the pandemic.
As the country prepares for the reopening of the borders, the role of these officers will be vital in ensuring that persons act in accordance with the regulations that are in place.
]]>