BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – TWENTY-ONE Police Officers and three Customs Officers are now equipped with the knowledge of video interviewing suspects and taking statements, having graduated on Friday (Nov. 9) after successfully completing a one-week training in Video Interviewing.
The first of the two one-week courses began on Monday, October 29 with 12 officers and ended on November 2, while the second one started on November 5, also with 12 officers, and concluded on November 9.
At the graduation ceremony on Friday, which was held at the Police Training Complex, in the presence of Deputy Commissioner of Police Stafford Liburd and Special Advisor for the Anti-Crime Unit Dr. Norgen Wilson, the 24 men and women were presented with certificates to show their accomplishments.
Speaking at the ceremony was Criminal Justice Advisor for the United States and United Kingdom Don Suter, who commended Inspector Smithen and Constable Treveron Richards for their outstanding performances on the courses.
He encouraged the graduates to go out, practise and hold on to their training, noting "you have turned a massive page these past two weeks".
Suter stressed the importance of following procedures and stated that if those procedures are not followed to a 't' "murderers could be acquitted".
In his address, Deputy CoP Liburd said that the training was just one of many and are all aimed at making the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force (RSCNPF) more professional, especially when dealing with crime.
"As small as we are as a Federation, we have been making progress towards modernising our organisation," he said.
Commandant of the Police Training School Inspector Lionel Moore had previously explained that the officers were being trained in the process of video interviewing suspects and taking statements.
"The officers are being trained in the proper procedure of recording statements in relation to violent crimes. In recording statements, officers must observe certain rules, certain protocols and failure to do so may end up with, even though the person is being charged, the matter being thrown out in court.
"If we obtain the statement through duress or through fear induced in that person, the statement can be thrown out in court. So by using video interviewing, it is clear so that both the prosecution and the defence can see that what we are doing is fair. And the fairness is on both sides, not for the prosecution alone, but the defence as well," he explained.
The course was funded by the Unites States Government with John Bailey and David Cater of the United Kingdom facilitating. It was held with the aim of improving the capabilities of the RSCNPF.
