BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – COMMISSIONER OF POLICE Celvin ‘CG’ Walwyn has denied making comments to the effect that he has intentions of reducing the 80-strong manpower resource of the Nevis Branch by some 20 personnel.
The police chief defended himself during a meeting convened with local media professionals late last week.
As explained by one member of the media, COP Walwyn is said to have suggested that the Nevis Division of the police force is “overstaffed” and in effort to deal with that 20 officers would either be dismissed or made to take up assignment in St. Kitts.
The police chief indicated that he said no such thing but noted that his comments spoke to the efficiency of the Division relative to its manpower resource.
“…I said based on the number of personnel in Nevis and based on the size of the agency there in Nevis, the 80 men that they have can be better deployed. I can run Nevis with 60 officers. That’s what I said. I didn’t say I was going to take them away from there.”
Making reference to his last assignment as a law-enforcement officer attached to Disney Land in Florida, the Commissioner suggested that the manpower in Nevis is being “wasted” and suggested that proper deployment could remedy that situation.
“…we can better use, better deploy the men to serve the island of Nevis more productively. It’s all about deployment…
“My last assignment was in Disney. Disney is one and a half times the size of Nevis and, at nights, from 2:30 until 6:00 in the morning, there were between two and four officers patrolling the whole of Disney. Nevis is no different. I hate to use the word culture but I’ve heard it a lot since I’ve been here. What the culture is here, is that people again have an expectation theory; they expect things to be the way they want it to be.
“If we could take two police cars and put them in Nevis, which they already have, and have a central dispatch, people can call in to the station and request the police. The dispatcher can call the police and have them go to the call. If the guy that is on (one) side needs help, the guy on (another) side can go and back him because they are driving cars. The places are four and five miles apart…that’s five minutes to get there. We are using too much resources for nothing. We are wasting manpower and when people tell the truth, people get upset.”
Since Commissioner Walwyn took command of the police force in early September, four police officers have been relieved of their duties in Nevis and have since assumed responsibilities in St. Kitts.
