By Suelika N. Buchanan
Editor-SKNVibes.com
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| Sergeant Adams inspects his son's bag during the demonstration. |
(Basseterre; St. Kitts): Police Officers of the Royal St. Kitts and Nevis Police Force's Canine Unit in conjunction with Operation Future held a demonstration around 8: 45 a.m. today, Wednesday, May, 16 at the Maurice Hillier Memorial Primary School.
The officers of the unit displayed and educated the students about the role of the canine unit within the organization and also did Tae-kwondo displays that were conducted by Inspector David and his brother.
Police Officer Percival Hanley, narrated the displays for the entire school who watched on in awe as the canines sniffed their way through their bags searching for hidden illegal material that were organized by the police.
Hanley said that the Operation Future will go to all the schools because they are the future and that they will also include notable figures in society to speak to the children.~~adz:Right~~
The operation was started about two years ago.
They have also been to PTA's, other youth groups and some of the companies at the Industrial Site.
"Stay away from crime, violence and drugs," Hanley told the children during the presentation. "And if you have a dream, go after it."
The children were excited as they watched the dogs sniff on them and through their bags searching for some marijuana that was placed in a volunteer's bag. The dog then followed the student every where he went which brought light laughter. The volunteer was a grade six student and son of one of the officers.
The officers also demonstrated that when the dogs found any drugs or were suspicious of anything they indicated so by sitting down in front of the bag.
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| Sergeant Adams showcasing what was found in the bag that the dog sniffed out, which was Marijuana. |
A real gun was also placed in the bushes in the school and the dog went out and found it and brought it back to the police officer.
Minister responsible for National Security, Hon. Dwyer Astaphan who was also present at the demonstration along with other members of his ministry said that they are showing the community what policing is all about.
He said that Operation Future will serve two purposes, showing how noble and positive the force is that might encourage the children to consider that line of duty when they get older and also to educate them about not getting involved in any criminal activity.
"We are sure they will identify positively and behave positively and become more interested as they spread the word that crime is wrong and that there is a strong crime- fighting initiative," he said.
The Canine Unit and Operation Future will continue with their demonstration at other schools in the Federation and will also take their demonstration to the schools in Nevis.
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| The Canine Unit on display. |
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| A gun that was found in some bushes in the school was recovered by the dog. |
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| The Tae-kwondo demonstration |
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| Inspector David demonstrates by breaking two boards at the same time during the Tae-Kwondo display. |
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