Basseterre, St. Kitts, December 11, 2019 (RSCNPF): Community Policing is now a staple in the Sandy Point District and has been incorporated into regular duties.
While appearing on a recent “Policing with You” radio programme, Superintendent for District ‘B’, Travis Rogers, commended the Officers in that area for keeping up with weekly community engagement commitments.
“Policing in the 21st Century has changed tremendously…we have recognized that engaging the community is important for us… engaging the community builds relationships and builds trust,” said the Superintendent.
He said keeping up with weekly community engagements could be long and tedious, but acknowledged that it helps the Police collect important data that aided in crime fighting. He lauded Sergeant Paula Jacobs and her team, which also includes Traffic Wardens, for their dedication to this initiative.
“This will help the police to have a database of information and contacts that they can refer back to in the event of a crime. Sergeant Jacobs has been doing this every week once the weather does not prevent her and I want to thank Paula for a fine job,” he said. He went on to note that members in the community looked forward to the continuous meet and greets.
The Superintendent added that the Officers in the district had been doing community policing for over a year now, but since the mandate was put in place officially by the High Command the activities became more structured.
“We give safety tips, map the area and take contact information. We started this process at the beginning of the year and there is a lot of work to be done. We know it will only get better and better and the public will be communicating with us more and more,” he said.
He highlighted that one of the biggest challenges at first was earning the trust of the persons they interacted with, however because the visits are consistent, the community warmed up to the Police.
He noted that with the increase in activities for the season, the Police will have a heightened presence on the streets and there will be an increase in day and night patrols. He also encouraged persons to be safe and responsible for the season.
“We are asking the public…to work with us, be with us, communicate with us and report the negative things so we can capitalize on them…people love the police and we love the people…we have recognized that we can’t do without them and they have recognized that they can’t do without us.”
