Basseterre, St. Kitts, September 01, 2023 (SKNIS): It’s exam week at the Police Training Complex as the twenty-nine recruits of Course #46 mark the first six weeks of their six-month journey to become fully-fledged officers of the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force.
On Thursday (August 31, 2023), the men and women took to Parade Square to execute military drills learned over the past weeks in a showcase of discipline and teamwork. Drill Sergeant Antonio Browne belted out several commands to groups comprising 12 males and 17 females during the drills exam that was executed under the watchful eye of instructors made up of former and active police and defence force officials.
Sergeant Marvin Thompson, Chief Instructor at the Police Training Complex, said that the first round of exams is done after the first six weeks of training. He explained that the training course has progressed well experiencing only the typical minor disruptions.
“Of course, there would have been a few hiccups like we saw today (Thursday) in the drill test but we are always looking for improvement from this first six weeks to the next six weeks,” Sergeant Thompson stated, adding that continuous improvement is necessary if the young men and women expect to graduate from police training.
The chief instructor reflected on the large number of women in Course #46 and noted that they are creating history.
“I have never heard of a situation where we have more females to males in this large ratio. In terms of breaking the glass ceiling or changing the culture, it is significant,” Sergeant Thompson said. However, he expressed that on the course it is business as usual.
Sergeant Thompson (left) speaks with Sergeant Browne
“As far as I am concerned, especially being at training school, what we look for are quality officers and the gender does not matter as much unless we are thinking that we are lacking in a particular aspect. Whether they are males or females is irrelevant as we need quality police officers,” he said.
Earlier this week, the group sat the police subjects exams, while the physical training exam was held on Friday (September 01, 2023).
