PM promises increased police patrol for Carnival season

By VonDez Phipps
Reporter-SKNVibes.com

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – Coming on the heels of the pleas made by a large number of downtown businessmen for increased police presence during the nation’s busiest shopping period, Prime Minister and Minister of National Security Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas has announced his plan to increase police and security patrol during this year’s Christmas/Carnival Season.

According to a press release emanating from the Office of the Prime Minister today (Dec. 16), “Just last week we [the government] have agreed that we need to increase the manpower, not so much in terms of recruitment of new people as that will take time, but redeploying trained police officers  performing duties as immigration officers and clerks to the streets.
 
These are going to be freed up immediately so that more trained police officers can be utilised not only to responding to crimes that are committed, but preventing crimes by patrolling on foot.”

The report also indicates that although the registered strength of the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force (SCNPF) is 420, only 380 positions are occupied. It also noted that the SCNPF will continue to partner with the St. Kitts-Nevis Defence Force to ensure increased foot and mobile patrols.

The Prime Minister noted that his government has “been trying to recruit more local people, but most of our people prefer to go into other types of employment opportunities and so it is difficult to recruit locals in the police force”. 

As a result, the Force has recruited personnel from Grenada, St. Lucia, Dominica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

The release stated that “the manpower of the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force will be increased by police officers being relieved of desk jobs that can be carried out by civilians”.