BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force’s ability to efficiently and effectively serve the public has been improved with the recent addition of three vehicles to its fleet.
Three new Daihatsu jeeps were added on Tuesday (July 14) to the fleet and, according to a police press release, the vehicles were given by the Ministry of National Security.
“The vehicles were deployed to the outstations to improve the operations at these stations,” the release states.
According to the Police Press and Public Relations Officer, Inspector Cromwell, one vehicle is attached to the Tabernacle Police Station, another to the Old Road Police Station and the third to the St. Paul’s Police Station.
“One of the Commissioner’s strategies in combating crime is to increase police presence on the streets and in the communities. These vehicles will ensure that there are means for the police to do that. They are marked vehicles and so they are highly visible and, because they are new, they are more reliable…and so the downtime for the vehicles will be minimised,” Henry explained.
The Ministry also gave a Comparison Microscope to the police, which “will enable officers to do comparative analysis on bullets and empty cartridges used in the commission of crime, thereby improving the Force’s ability to solve gun crimes.”
The Inspector emphasised that the new equipment is expected to contribute significantly to the Force’s detection rate.
“We are currently experiencing an increase in gun-related crimes and one of the constraints that we had in the investigations is being able to link bullets and cartridges to firearms. This equipment [Comparison Microscope] would enable us to do that. It also has the ability to match fingerprints. So, with this additional investigative tool, we expect to have a number of unanswered questions answered.”
He however noted that the process of training officer in the proper use of the equipment would have to be completed before it could be effectively utilised and success realised.
“Of course, training would have to be part of the overall programme of improving the police investigative abilities; so we would expect that over time the officers would develop these skills before we can really see the full impact that this equipment would have on our ability to successfully solve gun crimes.”
The release indicates that both the vehicles and the microscope “are part of the Ministry’s commitment to provide the Police Force with the necessary tools and equipment to execute its strategies to reduce crime in the Federation. It also expressed the Commissioner of Police’s deep appreciation for the items, noting they would be used in the Force’s ongoing fight against crime.
