Colin John, the commissioner of police in St Vincent and the Grenadines, says morale among police officers is not low.
The Commissioner, speaking on the WEFM’s issue at hand programme on Sunday, said officers are generally enthusiastic about work. In fact, some persons he says especially the junior ranks hate to sit idle and would prefer to be on the streets patrolling among other things.
“As of right now, there is no evidence of low morale; officers are happy to work, especially in the Grenadines. At the moment, the leave system in the Grenadines is that you work seven days and are off seven days”.
“In the dry season, officers may have water issues, so we will make sure that water is delivered to them.”
The police accommodations, according to John, need improvement, and we have talked to BRAGSA about what can be fixed now and what has to be fixed later.
“In terms of the accommodation, there is room for improvement. We worked with the landlord on these facilities from time to time. Depending on the lease agreement with the government, Bragsa or the police maintenance team would facilitate the repairs.”
Commissioner John also spoke about what guides promotions within the police department.
“Currently there is no written policy, but a committee has been formed, and its draft has been submitted. The committee is made up of an ASP, an Assistant Commissioner, and two superintendents”.
“We are also consulting with our neighbouring countries to see what their methods of promotion are and what criteria they use for promotion. This is something that should be implemented soon”.