Basseterre, St. Kitts, March 04, 2020 (RSCNPF): Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Adolph Adams, lauded the Officers from the Nevis Division for their stellar performance over the last year, but encouraged them to keep on the path of continuous improvement.
He was, at the time, speaking at the recently held Division ‘C’ Constable of the Year Awards Ceremony and Dinner.
“It is always heart-warming to attend any function that is geared at rewarding, awarding or just to tell hard serving police Officers thank you. Notwithstanding our achievements, there is still a lot of room for improvement, especially with regards to providing a professional service.”
He told the Officers that being professional is about having strong skills and competence in policing. The ACP explained that if they wanted to build a legacy or leave a lasting impression on the public, their peers and stakeholders, then it was imperative they put more emphasis on professionalism.
“There is an obvious expectation that we would have the experience and qualification to deliver that service, but this alone is not enough to earn the respect of the general public. Professionalism is also about the qualities and behaviours you exhibit, and the manner in which you conduct yourself in your public and private life,” he added.
He admonished the Officers to work towards possessing important characteristics that will help them be successful in their profession. Their appearance, demeanour, reliability, competence, accountability and ethics are some of the key characteristics that the Officers must be aware of in order to build a professional rapport he also said. ACP Adams went on to say that possessing soft skills, such as phone etiquette, organizational skills and strong writing skills, are also vital in their field of work.
“If you are to remember anything that I said today, I would want you to remember this…our customers are not our mates, they are not our siblings or our punching bags. These are the very people that provide us with the information to fight and solve crime. It’s time to bring respect and professionalism back into the policing equation, no matter how junior or senior you are,” said ACP Adams.
