Collaboration Between Security Forces and Public Hailed
~~Adz:Left~~ Basseterre, St. Kitts (January 30, 2008): The series of community town hall meetings organized by the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force have been hailed a success in bridging the gap between the security forces and the public.
During an SKNIS interview, Inspector Cromwell Henry said that the interactive sessions, which began on December 11 in Newtown, have been very useful.
“We express to [persons] what we are doing to curb [crime] and we solicit from them what their concerns are; and how they [view] the Police Force,” Henry said. He added that the feedback is taken into account when determining the community policing strategy for the relevant area.
Meetings have been held in Irish Town and Old Road. The next session takes place on Thursday (tomorrow) in Sandy Point. The Anglican Church Hall will be the venue for the event which has a 7:30 p.m. start time. A Police official said he expects a high turnout based on the groundwork that was laid by security officials.
Inspector Henry encouraged the public to keep the lines of communication open with the Police through formal and informal discussions. “We recognize that we cannot work in a vacuum. We have to work with the community,” he remarked while asking for increased public cooperation.
Henry added that the security forces will continue working to forge closer relations with all members of society and made an appeal for persons with information regarding criminal activity to come forward and help to make the country safer.
