109 RECRUITS COMPLETE POLICE TRAINING IN SVG
Six months of early mornings, examinations, physical training, drill and discipline came to an end on Thursday, November 5, 2026, as 109 recruits completed Course 43 of the Royal Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force and marched onto the Arnos Vale Stadium for their Passing Out Parade.
But amid the ceremony, applause and presentation of awards, one message followed the new officers from speaker to speaker: completing training was an achievement; living up to the responsibility of the uniform will be the greater test.
The 43rd Passing Out Parade was held under the theme “Forged Through Discipline, United in Service.”
Course 43 began training on May 18, 2026, with 115 recruits. Over the months that followed, they were exposed to police law and procedures, criminal investigation, communication, community policing, human rights, ethics, discipline, self-defence, physical training and drill, among other areas.
At the conclusion of the programme, 109 successfully completed the course.
Commandant of the Police Training School, Lieutenant Commander William Theobalds, told the recruits that the training was deliberately demanding because the responsibilities awaiting them are serious.
He reminded them that their graduation should not create a false sense of arrival.
Their “real examination,” he said, would begin when they are deployed into communities and operational environments where their training, judgement and character will be tested.
Lt. Commander Theobalds also stressed that entry into the Police Force is an opportunity, but successful completion of training must be earned through commitment, performance and adherence to established standards.
He further explained that the theme, “Forged Through Discipline, United in Service,” was deliberately chosen to reflect both the transformation demanded by police training and the collective nature of policing.
He likened the training process to the forging of metal under heat and pressure, noting that recruits had been challenged and shaped to strengthen their resilience, character and readiness for service. He also emphasised that policing is not an individual undertaking, but one built on teamwork, trust, communication, mutual respect and shared responsibility.
Featured Speaker Mr. Ronnie Richardson developed that theme further, challenging the recruits to understand discipline as something demonstrated long after the parade ground is behind them.
He told them that discipline means doing what is right when nobody is watching, following lawful instructions, respecting established procedures and accepting that accountability applies to every officer regardless of rank or seniority.
“The uniform you wear gives you authority, but discipline determines how responsibly you exercise that authority,” he told the recruits.
Mr. Richardson also urged them to remember that policing is fundamentally about people and extends beyond making arrests and enforcing the law.
He reminded the recruits that there would be occasions throughout their careers when they would be corrected, challenged and pushed beyond what they believed were their limits. Those experiences, he said, should be understood as part of the preparation required for the realities of policing.
Drawing on the second half of the parade theme, he encouraged the recruits to support, encourage and, when necessary, correct one another, reinforcing the idea that the strength of the organisation depends on the conduct and commitment of each member.
Prime Minister Dr. Hon. Godwin Friday similarly challenged the recruits to view the occasion as the beginning of their professional responsibility rather than its culmination.
He told the 109 recruits that completing the training programme was a significant achievement, but urged them to continue learning and to build lasting careers in policing. He described service in the Police Force as a high responsibility rather than simply a job and reminded them that few responsibilities are more serious than being entrusted with the safety of others.
The Prime Minister urged the recruits to treat people with dignity, exercise their authority fairly and never allow the uniform to become an excuse for arrogance or abuse.
He stressed that the public must be able to trust the men and women sworn to protect them and that such trust must be earned every day through professionalism, honesty, restraint and respect.
He also placed the graduation within the wider national effort to confront serious crime.
The Prime Minister noted that no homicides were recorded during October, describing the development as encouraging while cautioning that one month without a homicide did not mean the work was finished. He said the desired outcome was for that level of safety to become the norm throughout the year and across communities.
He also outlined a more coordinated approach to crime reduction, including the establishment of a National Crime Reduction Task Force and an intensified 90-day crime reduction, border protection and citizen security action plan scheduled to begin on December 7.
The plan, he said, would place particular emphasis on illegal firearms, criminal gangs, border security, intelligence sharing, police visibility and the protection of vulnerable young people.
The Prime Minister further stated that Government intends to continue building the capacity of the Police Force through training, equipment and operational support, while maintaining high expectations for professional conduct.
He also raised concern about the loss of trained and experienced officers over the years and said Government intends to work with the leadership of the Force to address the reasons officers are leaving and to create better opportunities for capable personnel to build long-term careers in policing.
RECRUITS RECOGNISED FOR OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE
PR 072 Romel McDowall emerged as the standout recruit of Course 43.
He was adjudged Best Recruit and also received the Baton of Honour and Commissioner’s Trophy. McDowall additionally secured the award for Best at Multi-discipline Subjects and later delivered the Valedictory Address.
Other award recipients were:
- PR 095 Desray Samuel – Best at Sociology
- PR 049 Fem Hepburn – Most Improved
- WPR 091 Staffiesha Richards – Best at Giving Evidence
- PR 017 Immari Cain – Best at Physical Training (Male)
- WPR 096 Eldica Samuel – Best at Physical Training (Female)
- PR 046 Cazael Greene – Best at Police Duty Subjects
- PR 046 Cazael Greene – Best at Psychology
- PR 077 Philroy Nero – Best at Drills
- PR 118 Rivas Young – Best at Self Defence (Male)
- WPR 108 Vynus Thomas – Best at Self Defence (Female)
- WPR 108 Vynus Thomas – Most Discipline
- WPR 108 Vynus Thomas – Best Turned Out Female
- PR 016 Darie Cadogan – Best Turned Out Male
- PR 072 Romel McDowall – Best at Multi-discipline Subjects
- PR 072 Romel McDowall – Best Recruit
- PR 072 Romel McDowall – Baton of Honour and Commissioner’s Trophy
Lt. Commander Theobalds noted that the competition among the top-performing recruits was particularly close, with only 0.05 and 0.52 of a percentage point separating the first three positions respectively.
He also reminded those who did not receive awards that the true measure of their success would not be the number of trophies earned at the end of training, but the quality of police officers they become and the positive difference they make in the lives of others.
As the ceremony drew to a close, the message from the speakers remained consistent.
The recruits had earned their place on the parade ground, but their greater responsibility now lies beyond it.
Prime Minister Friday told them that once the ceremony was over, “the true test begins” in how they treat the people they encounter and whether they remain faithful to the oath and responsibilities they have accepted.
He reminded them that poor conduct by individual officers can affect the reputation of the entire organisation and urged them to guard their names, uphold high standards and remember that the people of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines are counting on them.
On behalf of the Commissioner of Police (Ag.), Mr. Trevor Bailey, and the rank and file of the Royal Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force, congratulations are extended to all 109 recruits on successfully completing Course 43.
The Force commends their perseverance, discipline and commitment throughout the training period and welcomes them into the wider policing family.
As they begin their careers, they are encouraged to uphold the standards of professionalism, integrity, fairness and service expected of every member of the organisation, and to remain conscious that the authority carried by the uniform must always be matched by responsibility.
The training may be complete. The uniform has been earned.
Now comes the part that cannot be rehearsed on a parade square: earning the confidence of the people they have sworn to serve.
