Police officers commence Crime Scene Management training
By Terresa McCall
Reporter-SKNVibes.com
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Crime Scene Management Course opening Ceremony
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BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force is expected to better manage crime scenes, as 20-plus officers are currently participating in a Government of Canada and Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)-funded Crime Scene Management for First Responders Course.
The opening ceremony, held at the headquarters for the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), took place this morning (Jan. 12) in the presence of participating officers; Commissioner of Police (COP) Austin Williams; Force Personnel Officer Wendell Wattley; Assistant Secretary in the Ministry of National Security Ivor Blake and course facilitators Paul Jolicoeur and Luc Maltais of Canada.
Among the areas to be covered on the course are Securing the Crime Scene, Note Taking, Evidence, Report Writing and Taking Statements, Scene Examination, Preparation for Court and Court Testimony.
SKNVibes understands that a session will be held in Nevis on Wednesday (Jan. 14) to expose officers on the island to similar training.
~~Adz:Left~~Blake, who performed the duties of Master of Ceremonies, said, for some participants, the course would serve to “reintroduce” them to procedures to which they were previously exposed. He implored all officers to capitalise on the vast knowledge and experience of the facilitators.
Commissioner Williams, in giving brief remarks, said he was pleased with the government of St. Kitts and Nevis and the RCMP for the implementation of the Canadian-funded Law Enforcement Training Assistance Project under which this training programme falls..jpg)
“I say this because the more of us exposed to this and all the planned training will definitely increase our collective knowledge as we develop our skills and abilities with respect to crime fighting and the confidence to do so.”
Speaking specifically to the participating officers, the COP said, “In this training, you will be refreshed in the procedure you must follow when you first appear at a crime scene. You will be reminded that actions taken at the onset of an investigation at a crime scene can play a pivotal role in the resolution of a case. That careful, thorough investigation is key to ensure that potential physical evidence is not tainted or destroyed or potential witnesses overlooked.”
The Commissioner expressed that the training would “definitely reduce the number of concerns and conflicts we have in reference to preserving crime scenes”.
