BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - COMMISSIONER OF POLICE Celvin Walwyn recently thanked the members of the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force (RSCNPF) as well the public for their support during his leadership of the Police Force and for his initiatives to crack down on crime.
C. G. Walwyn recently celebrated one year as Commissioner of Police – a year in which he had promised to uphold the law and crack down on crime when he took over.
Although there are mixed views by the public on his performance since his take-over as Commissioner, deeming his first year in the field as leader a success, Cop Wawyn said that the decrease in criminal activity comes from strong leadership at the top, training, crime prevention, patrol, crime detection and public cooperation.
"The public has been very supportive of the police. We have nay-sayers … we have a certain set of people that will get in the media and they will speak negatively against the police force but this is a free country, people are free to say whatever they want to say but the majority of the people are in full support of the police and they do support the police. I want to thank them publicly for their continued support," he said.
Commissioner Walwyn, thanked the RSCNPF for standing by his side and giving him the support needed to be a great leader.
He thanked the Federation for trusting in the Police Force to serve and protect, and he also thanked the St. Christopher and Nevis Defence Force for their assistance in helping to curb crime.
"We are not looking at the numbers [statistics], we are looking at the reality. You can see the difference here in the Federation; you can feel the difference here in the Federation, and it [difference] is because the people now feel that they can speak to the police and the police will do something. And we want to thank the public and to encourage them to continue lending us their support as we try to make a difference in the reduction of crime here in the Federation," the CoP said.
"As a leader of a law enforcement agency, even if I get one percent drop in crime, I'll be happy. But the police officers that work on the streets and the detectives and the civilian staff, we all come together and we have set a bench mark and that bench mark is we are trying to have crime reduced over the next three years by 30 percent. We are more than 30 percent and this is the first year," he said.
The Commissioner said that crime has been reduced significantly.
"If we look back January to July 31 last year, we had a reduction in crime for that seven month period of 6.5 percent. For the month of July last year we had a reduction in crime of 24 percent. This year from January to July 31 there was a reduction in crime of 65.9 percent and in the Federation as a whole, a reduction in crime of 36 percent."
The Top Cop said that he would like to see a further reduction in crime in the coming years, so that the people of the Federation can feel free to walk the streets again.
"I would like to see a time in this Federation when young girls who are underage can walk the streets without being molested. I would like to see a time in this Federation when a woman who is abused by a boyfriend or spouse can go to a police station and make a report and the report is taken by the police and processed by the Court and she receives justice.
"I would like to see a time when the young people of the country will look to the future and give up the violence and build upon making this country safer, more secure and more productive."
C. G. Walwyn was officially sworn in as the head of RSCNPF on September 1, 2011, having succeeded Austin Williams as Commissioner.
