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| (L-R) Hon Dwyer Astaphan Federal Minister of National Security and Acting Superintendent of Police Mr Joseph Liburd. |
CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (January 5, 2006) -- Federal Minister of Labour National Security and Immigration Hon Dwyer Astaphan has called on the youth of Nevis to become a part of the Federation's security forces which he described as a noble profession with benefits, one necessary if any society is to operate peacefully.
Mr. Astaphan made the call during an interview with the Nevis Island Administration's Nevis News Cast Channel 8 at the Charlestown Police Station, while on a one day visit to Nevis on Thursday to meet with officers of the Nevis Police Division at the invitation of Acting Superintendent Mr Joseph Liburd Head of the Division.
He also took the opportunity to address assistance forthcoming for the Police and Fire and Rescue Services in Nevis this year, following fruitful discussions with Premier of Nevis Hon Vance Amory.
Policing is a tremendous calling and the police in this country start out at a relatively decent rate of pay. They have security of tenure which means that they are members of the pensionable establishment so after a period of time they are eligible for pensions and of course gratuity. They are exposed to a very broad range of education and improvement opportunities, which a number of them take. They become members of the Police Credit Union, which is a very powerful organisation which sits on $20 million right now and is looking to find ways and means to assist its members in terms of house loans, loans to help their children to go away to study and a variety of things.
"There are a number of other tremendous benefits that attend the career of policing which I don't think sufficient young people know and it is incumbent on the relevant authorities to get the message out and to repeatedly put it out that policing is a noble and wonderful calling and it is necessary if any society is to operate on the basis of peace and order. We want more and more people to be thinking along those lines rather than young people being distracted by negative and destructive lifestyles," he said.
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| Police officers of the Nevis Police Division in a closed door meeting with Minister Astaphan. |
According to Mr Astaphan, a national effort is required on the part of the authorities in Nevis to reach out to the youth to join the security forces, adding that although some persons may be more attracted to employment opportunities in the hotel or construction sector, once they analysed the benefits of becoming a member of the Police Force, Defence Force or the Fire and Rescue Services, they would realise its long term benefits and advantages.
"It has tremendous advantages and the advantages will only improve because we are committed to doing a number of things that will strengthen the fabric of the force and increase the public's respect for the force," he said.
Regarding the pending assistance to the Police in Nevis and the Fire and Rescue Services Mr Astaphan said he has had discussions with Premier Amory and they had arrived at a "shopping list".
Indeed we (Federal Government) expect a fire truck to come to Nevis very shortly. We were able to get a very kind gentleman to donate two used reconditioned and certified trucks and one will come to Charlestown and the other will come to Basseterre. We hope to receive those this year.
"I am trying to build up the K-9 Unit and all of these things we are trying to get. In fact this last fiscal year was a challenging one for us and I am happy to tell you that Premier Amory is extremely corporative and supportive and we will be doing some things together but we have a shopping list from all of the agencies as to the things they require. It's a shopping list that shoots up into the millions and we have already started asking for assistance from the Ministry of Finance as well as donor countries and the Private Sector," he said, adding that they had so far received favourable responses from that Sector.
"We are looking to get some high-tech fingerprinting equipment for headquarters, bullet proof vests, more arms and ammunition, more equipment for the police and also more training. We want to emphasise the importance of more training, the importance of physical fitness in the police force, mental alertness and intellectual development. They (Police Officers) need to be better trained and be more committed," he explained.
Regarding the issue of commitment, Mr Astaphan noted that there are a number of police officers who were insufficiently committed to policing and "who may even be having unholy relations with criminals and they need to make their decisions."
He warned that if the officers involved in these relationships do not clean up, they would be thoroughly investigated and once concrete evidence supported the unholy relationships, they would be brought before the appropriate discipline forum to be dealt with since the island's security forces could not afford no contamination.
