Training expected to improve effectiveness of Police Force

By Terresa McCall
Reporter-SKNVibes.com

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - The Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force is currently undergoing a series of workshops and consultations designed to improve upon the general operation of the organisation.

The series of activities fall under the Law Enforcement Training Assistance Project and is funded by the Canadian government.

Beginning in April of this year, the first activity took the form of a workshop which provided information on ways in which the productivity of officers can be improved and the second workshop dealt with ‘Improving Performance through Strategic Planning & Management’.  This second activity targeted middle management of the Police Force and the St. Kitts Nevis Fire and Rescue Services.

Ivor Blake, Assistant Secretary in the Ministry of National Security told SKNVibes that the project encompasses six activities, the last of which should be completed by December of next year.

The remaining four activities, he added, will take the form of training sessions and consultations.  ~~Adz:Right~~

“There are other components on the way that will speak specifically to crime scene management and forensics which the Royal Canadian Mounting Police (RCMP) will be delivering for us under the same project. Our crime detection rate and solvability needs to be focused on and we are looking forward to that part of the project. We also have training that would target the High Command and the senior management of the force.”

One of the key components of the project, as outlined by Blake, deals with the adaptability of the Police Force and its ability to deal with change in an ever-evolving environment while effectively executing its duties.

“There is also some institutional development activities to retarget how we manage the our information, how we would seek to develop the whole human capacity of the force, dealing with changes in the global environment while delivering the kind service that is required and how to utilize the scarce resources that are available. We are looking at how we deliver our service now and are looking at what we need to do to serve the public more efficiently and more effectively.”

Blake told SKNVibes that by the end of the project, he expects that the quality of service delivered by the Force, the interaction of police with the public and the management of resources would be improved and the force would become more creative in incorporating more technology in its crime-fighting efforts.