167 new police officers produced in over four years in St Kitts-Nevis

The upcoming graduation of Course 43 from the Police Training Complex will bring the number of police graduates to 167 over the past four years – an achievement described by Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris as “significant.”

At Tuesday’s (July 30, 2019) Sitting of the Federal Parliament, the prime minister indicated that training for the security forces has been a primary focus for the government from day one as it placed law and order at the fore of its agenda when it came to office in 2015.

“We have carefully sought to build out the Force capacity to serve and protect the people of St. Kitts and Nevis,” Dr. Harris said. “... We ensured that we fast tracked [training] so that persons who were wearing the uniform of the police had the necessary competencies to be able to deliver, and so year after year for the last five years, there has been a Passing Out Parade.”

Prime Minister Harris reiterated the 167 number and added that “this is a significant number for our Force which numbers just about 400 plus law enforcement officers.”

The majority of the graduates were nationals of neighbouring CARICOM countries who committed to serve and protect citizens and residents in St. Kitts and Nevis. Course 43 started with 34 recruits in January 2019, but has since been reduced to 31 comprising of 28 males and 3 females who hail from St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Dominica, Grenada and St. Kitts and Nevis.

Dr. Harris, who is also the Minister of National Security, said that there are 43 vacancies currently in the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force and “encouraged the young people in the country who are desirous of making a contribution in an important area of national life to apply to become a police officer.”