Basseterre, St. Kitts, February 18, 2020 (RSCNPF): The tactical units of The Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force are currently sharpening their skills in a number of critical areas of security.
Just over 40 members of the Special Services Unit, the Drug Squad, the Anti-Gang Unit, the K9 Unit and the Task Force out of Nevis are participating in the week-long security training course. The course began on Monday, February 17, 2020, and is being held at the Police Training Academy in Basseterre. Officers from the St. Kitts and Nevis Customs and Excise Department along with Soldiers from the St. Kitts and Nevis Defence Force are also benefiting from the training as they work along with these tactical teams.
The training includes classroom lessons reviewing the Public Order Act and the Public Meeting and Procession Act, as well as, types of crowds and crowd control, handling prisoners, dealing with hostage situations and active shooters, among other topics. The participants will also be involved in practical exercises to reinforce the theoretical aspects of their training.
While much of this information had been covered by the Officers before, continuous training is very important, especially if the Officer is still acquiring experience in certain situations. Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) responsible for Operations, Adolph Adams, explained that young Officers and others who lacked exposure stood to gain the most from the exercise.
“Some of the men and women in the units have not yet been a part of the Regional Security Service (RSS) training for these types of units, while others are actually trainers with the RSS,” ACP Adams said. “So rather than wait for the RSS training course which is held once per year, we thought it would be best to utilise the RSS trainers that we have and host our own.”
“We are putting a heavy focus on professionalism, because you must be competent in whatever you are doing to be as professional as possible. Also, we are using some of the situations we have seen in some of the videos that have been circulating as teachable moments to enhance our service,” he added.
Speaking at a brief opening ceremony on Monday for the course, Commissioner of Police Hilroy Brandy stressed the important nature of the work of the tactical unit. Commissioner Brandy has said that the reduced levels of crime will allow the Force to undertake more locally held training in specific areas for more units and departments. His goals are to improve the service being offered to the public and the continued growth of each Officer.
