Basseterre, St. Kitts, August 09, 2019 (SKNIS): The curriculum for recruits of the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force continues to be enhanced to meet the evolving nature of crime taking place locally, within the Caribbean region, and internationally.
Course 43, which is set to graduate on August 14, 2019, after months of training and practical on-the-road experience, benefited from sessions in several new areas.
“We had a new training session of asset recovery that was taught to the recruits. This is the first time in the (history of) law enforcement in St. Kitts that a course of this nature was put on,” Inspector Eldrin Dickenson, Commandant of the Police Training School stated, referring to the enhanced syllabus for recruits.
Asset recovery, in this case, relates to matters such as money laundering and seizing assets obtained through corrupt activities. The session was conducted by the Asset Recovery Unit of the Regional Security System.
Commandant Dickenson added that the trainees also explored the effective use of a baton and pepper spray. In the past, pepper spray was mostly issued to tactical units, but recent changes have seen it deployed on a wider level as a non-lethal deterrent.
“You would only go to firearms when things become more serious,” he added. “[With] the use of the baton and the pepper spray, I can assure you persons would not want to be sprayed a second time.”
The recruits also participated in a virtual training in tourism-oriented policing. Tourism oriented policing looks at ways stakeholders and law enforcement agencies can collaborate to promote a safe environment that contributes positively to the tourism industry. The training was done using the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI) Connect system, which links to all the police training academies throughout the region to cover various subject matters.
Inspector Dickenson noted that the new topics will remain an important component in future training as efforts continue to shape recruits to deal with complex challenges in an increasingly globalized world.
