The Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force (RSVGPF) has set up a Legal Research and Policy Unit (LRPU).
Commissioner of Police, Colin John said that the unit is geared towards improving the service offered to the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the swift execution of justice.
He said that the unit, which is based at the Central Police Station, will be the main liaison between the RSVGPF and the Office of the Director of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP).
The unit is under the Command of the Assistant Commissioner of Police in-charge of Crimes, Richard Browne and managed by Assistant Superintendent of Police, John Ballah, lawyer.
The mission of the LRPU is to provide an unwavering commitment to excellence and development of the RSVGPF through integrity, professional legal analysis, research, training and vetting policies.
The unit has several goal which includes but is not limited to:
- develop and enhance case file preparation and investigation;
- reduce the timeline of casefiles readiness for trials;
- ensure casefiles are properly prepared before being sent to the DPP’s office;
- partner with the office of the DPP to reduce the backlog of legal analysis, recommendations and opinions on complex matters due for trial;
- partner with the training officer and other law enforcement partners to provide training and workshops for law enforcement officers
- create and vet policies for the development of the RSVGPF as mandated by the commissioner of police;
- ensure that the policies and practices of the RSVGPF are lawful and are fairly applied;
- assist law enforcement entities on legal matters by interpreting the enforcement of local, CARICOM, and International treaties and laws; and,
- highlight legislative developments that may be vital to the development of The RSVGPF, the public’s safety and the advancement of their quality of life.
This is very funny indeed!
This will not help at all because they should have been meeting all these objectives automatically anyway. All institutions everywhere and throughout history should strive for efficiency. Is this showing us that it is not the case in our police, or SVG or the Caribbean? Maybe it is because other jurisdictions where I have lived and worked see efficiency as just the normal way things are done…unless corruption sneaks in such as in the US Federal Government.
Maybe this is just a show, seeing that most of the public know that the RSVG Police has BIG problems. Have they ever thought that the problems stem from other reasons? Political influence maybe? Maybe cronyism, internal bias? What about the selection process for choosing officers and promotions? Maybe policy in regards to how evidence is stored and guarded and who has access to it?…policy in general is not what it should be, in the police force and many government institutions in general. Where the policy IS GOOD…it is simply not followed…”Welcome to the Caribbean” !
This news shows that someone in charge either does not know the cause of the problems or is not interested in changing them.
My opinion this is a positive step.
Number 7 should number 1. I see no reference to how the group will communicate and react to Vincentians issues with the government and government department.
I am not sure of number 6 and what it means and hope to accomplish to tackle police corruptions and behaviour.