BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – GENERALLY, Recruits seeking to enter the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force receive training and counsel from senior male members of the organization. Recently, however, the Female Recruits of the current course were treated to a welcomed surprise when they met with and received advice from the lone female member of the Police High Command, ACP Merclyn Hughes.
Hughes, the first female to attain that rank in the history of the Force, told SKNVibes she understands that the training could be tough at times and found it necessary to speak with the females just to encourage and give them some nuggets of wisdom.
“I met with the female police officers at the Training School and it was more or less to see where they are within the organization, to see what some of the challenges they were facing are and to encourage them, because I was there. Nothing that they are going through now I did not go through or cannot relate to.
“So they are more than half way there and I encouraged them to keep focused and keep looking ahead. They cannot expect to reach anywhere in the organsiation just by wishing it. You have to do what needs to be done; study hard, get up in the night when some people are sleeping…get up and challenge yourself.”
ACP Hughes said there might be a misconception which suggests that specific classes such as weapons training would be won by men. She said this is false and gave some advice to the Female Recruits on performing at their best.
“If somebody is ahead of you that is your barometer, do not look at it as the men have to win the weapons training; because in my course - in Course 11 - a female won. Do not put blinders on yourself, do not look at any roof and say there is a ceiling that is preventing you from going past what you can see.”
Using one of her role models as an example, Hughes expressed that she knew that because someone had blazed the trail before her, she was capable of doing the same and setting an example for those behind her.
“The ceilings were broken a long time ago. Carol Williams was our first female Inspector; someone I looked up to and was a role model. I said to myself, ‘Carol Williams did it and I can do it too.’ And so I pressed on and I am here today as an Assistant Commissioner, and one of you sitting there can become the next Deputy Commissioner and the next Commissioner.”
She admonished them to take example from the many females within the Force who are heads of or second-in-command of departments, including Inspectors Carla Wallace, Jacqueline Browne, Diane Mills, Gwendolyn Duncan and Rosemary Isles.
The course is scheduled to end sometime during the middle of the year.
