BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – NEWLY-ELECTED Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris has pledged to support members of the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force (RSCNPF) and to provide the law enforcement body with the necessary resources to fulfil its mandate.
Dr. Harris made this pledge, among others, yesterday (Mar. 4) to a very large group of appreciative members of the RSCNPF at the NEMA Building in Lime Kiln, Basseterre.
“I pledge as your Minister to give every support that I can, every support that the Government can to ensure that the resources that you require and the support that you require to ensure that you effectively and efficiently deliver on this mission that we bring those resources to bear.”
He also told the lawmen and women that the critical function of the State is to keep the people in its jurisdiction safe.
In his opening remarks, the Prime Minister commended the members of the Force for the excellent work they did during the General Elections and the campaigns leading up to the Elections.
“I thank you for the discipline and professionalism that you exhibited during that most difficult period which tested our democracy at many levels. It is important always that we the good citizens of St. Kitts and Nevis must always be able to have our confidence reposed in the security institutions of the State of St. Kitts and Nevis.”
He told the officers that there needs to be more rewards for the work they are doing, such as daily placing their lives on the line, and promised “more incentives and more money in your pockets so that you can do more”.
The National Security Minister also promised the High Command, officers and ranks a new beginning, which he noted would eradicate the challenges they experienced in the past.
“We are offering to you and your command a new beginning. Whatever may have been the challenges of the past, the past is now gone. What we have now is the present and the future. Some people say the challenge with the future is that the future we can desecrate it. In other words, make a mockery of it. I challenge you to let us work together, consecrate the future, make it something good, something inspiring and something bless.
“Whatever has been in your challenges with respect to promotion, for example, the future can deal with that. The past denied you that! The future must offer you fairer opportunities for promotion to do that. And the future must be open and transparent that when people are promoted you know by what criteria they were able to move ahead of you.”
In continuation of the Government’s offer of a new beginning, Dr. Harris made reference to officers being transferred to Nevis as a form of punishment.
“The new beginning in the Police Force must speak to the fact that too often we have heard the complaints that going to Nevis is in part punishment for doing good work. We want transparency! And yes, we will love to say that a policeman, like a teacher, like a nurse, should be prepared to serve anywhere in the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis. But we must know why we are going, where we are going and we must be assured it is not a mechanism for punishment and that it has something to do more with opportunities for professional development.
“These are areas and, which starting today, we could have a new beginning. And they do not require an intervention from the Minister of National Security or the Cabinet. It requires that the Commissioner understands his duty of care for those who are serving in the Force that a new era, a fresh start has come to people including those of you in the Police Force.”
In addition to the challenges, the Prime Minister stated that he is aware of some of the many concerns of members of the Force.
“Yes, there are concerns, lots of concerns I am told! I promise you that your High Command will listen attentively to the concerns. I have heard some of the concerns. We intend to work through the structure of the Force to ensure that your concerns are addressed. They may not be addressed today or tomorrow, but they will be addressed in very good time. In very good time they will all be addressed.”
He charged the officers to aim for excellence, to be disciplined and supportive to their superiors and subordinates as well as to their peers.
The Prime Minister pointed out to the officers that they are always under the public’s microscope and that they must at all times work together and portray a high degree of professionalism in the execution of their duty.
“...You are in this together! When you are called to respond to a murder or to some other crime and you go there, the people in our community see and they form a view about the police. Are they together? Are they professional? Can they deliver? Can we trust them with this? To each question that they post, you must give the opportunity to say...yes, we can trust them, yes they can deliver, and yes they can take this case to successful prosecution and conviction”
Dr. Harris explained that that could only be achieved by their conduct and behaviour.
He also charged them to be involved in community policing, with the aim of achieving set goals and targets by offering guidance and support, especially to the young men.
He explained that by being involved in community activities and demonstrating leadership where there is none, as well as building confidential and open relationships, the residents would show respect, trust and the fear of providing information with regards to criminal activities would be eradicated.
Prime Minister Harris also addressed the murder rate in the Federation, noting that it is unacceptably high.
“It’s higher than it is in Antigua, it’s higher than it is in Trinidad in Jamaica, and you just go and Google murder capital of the world and you see where we stand. You just go and Google most homicidal countries in the world and see which countries come up. And you’ll understand that we have a challenge, that we require a united police force command committed to professionally execute the work, while they leave the politics to the politicians.”
He emphatically stated that in the face of that challenge, the High Command could not do it alone without the support of the officers, rank and file, and lamented “that is why we need a disciplined Force from the Commissioner down to the Constable”.
