BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – WITH his recent return to a department to which he had grown familiar, comes a number of challenges; however, it is his belief that with hard work and dedication they will be overcome.
Inspector Cromwell Henry of the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force was recently moved to the Traffic Department, where he assumed the position of Head of the Department; a position previously held by Inspector Vaughan Henderson, who now heads the Force Public Relations Office.
Prior to taking up his post there, Inspector Henry was the Station Officer at the Basseterre Police Station for three years before which he was stationed at the Traffic Department for some 10 years.
In an exclusive interview with SKNVibes, Henry explained that since his return to the Traffic Department he has begun reviewing processes employed by the Department and systems which have changed since he last left. He explained that his process is to enable him to “determine which areas need to be improved and which already are satisfactory”.
Henry indicated that one of his immediate observations was the decrease in “the respectability of the Department in terms of traffic law enforcement”.
“So one of the areas that would be foremost in my mind is to get back that respectability of the Department on the road. Too many traffic offences are blatantly committed without consequence to the offenders, especially with regards to parking, speeding, number of derelict vehicles on the road for extended periods and tinting of vehicles. These are areas which I intend to focus on while at the same time dealing with the administrative issues at the office.”
The Inspector said he envisages challenges in his quest to improve the operations of the Department, especially in light of the limited resources available to him. However, with a motivated and enthusiastic staff, he explained that these challenges could be overcome.
“It would be challenging because of the limited resources that I have to work with, but I intend to adopt the culture of working smarter and not necessarily harder, given the limited resources that are available; resources mean both human and equipment. The staff is motivated and is willing to work and they will have my full support as they enforce the traffic laws and regulations.”
A key component to the Department’s future success, Henry explained, is the public’s support and understanding when the officers are executing their duties.
“I want to emphasise that public support is always desirable because we cannot be effective without the support of the public. So, I want to urge members of the public to give their full cooperation to the officers, bearing in mind that they are there to serve them and to ensure their safety. I don’t want to public to see them as nuisances while they are executing their duties and functions. I said that specifically because I am aware of instances where officers stop passenger busses for various reasons and the reaction of the passengers to the officers was not very complimentary.
“We would try as much as possible to be courteous in our dealings with motorists and other road users, and we expect the same from those who we come in contact with.”
