BRADES, Montserrat, June 13th, 2012 – The recently completed review of the Royal Montserrat Police Service (RMPS) has found significant gaps in its operational procedures which must be fixed to ensure that the community is served effectively.
His Excellency the Governor Adrian Davis commissioned the review of the RMPS, which was done between 30 April and 11 May 2012 by Larry Covington, Law Enforcement Adviser to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Overseas Territories Directorate; Deputy Commissioner of Police Anthony Ennis of the Royal Cayman Police Service; and Acting Deputy Commissioner of Police Alwin James of the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force.
The team found that the RMPS Strategic Plan needed to be updated and there was no Annual Policing Plan to drive the delivery of the Strategic Plan. “There was an absence of a recognised performance management culture within the service.” They also noted the need for “wide ranging legislative reform” to support and assist the RMPS delivery of effective police services.
According to the report, made public on Wednesday, “a number of external stakeholders and junior RMPS officers commented that the RMPS lacked dynamic leadership and a cohesive Senior Management Team (SMT).” The review team said the lack of cohesion in the SMT needed to be addressed as a matter of urgency to ensure the effective delivery of the strategic policing plan, vision and mission statements.
After taking into consideration the police workforce numbers, the incidents and demand for police services, reported crimes, levels of serious and organised crime levels, among other factors, the team stated that the present strength of the RMPS “is adequate to meet the current policing demand of Montserrat and that much more can be achieved through intelligence-led deployment strategies.”
They however, called for an immediate assessment of the impact on policing with the planned construction and development of Carr’s Bay and Little Bay and a business case if additional resources are identified and required.
The review team also said the Salem Police Station should be reopened fully and manned appropriately. They added the deploying of close circuit television (CCTV) could support the RMPS’s efforts to monitor entry and exit into the exclusion zones and electronic gate access should be explored.
The full review is available on the Government of Montserrat Website under Publications from the Governor’s Office.
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