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BASSETERRE, St Kitts (CUOPM) -- The citizens of St Kitts and Nevis have seen a difference in crime fighting efforts of the local police and have been very supportive of the law enforcement agency.

Commissioner of Police, C. G. Walwyn made the statement at a meeting of the Coalition, a group of local businesses that make a tangible contribution to the local police force.

“The Coalition continued to support the police by assisting the police force in the acquisition of a crime scene vehicle necessary to properly process crime scenes. But going beyond that, the Coalition again absorbed the cost of hosting instructors from the United States who trained over 60 local police officers in a course of gunshot residue testing. As a result of the progressiveness of the police force, the RSS is going to conduct crime scene processing courses across the Caribbean, using our local police as the example,” said Walwyn, who assumed command of the Royal St Christopher and Nevis Police Force just over ago.

He said since the inception of the partnership with the coalition and the local police, there has been a constant decrease in crime in the Federation.

“The idea of a local business and police partnership was new to the federation. However, crime was affecting everyone and the private business/police partnership was born,” said Walwyn, noting that a special group of police officers and soldiers would come together under the auspices of the Office of the Prime Minister’s Anti-Crime Unit.

The group was called the Delta Squad and its primary purpose was to patrol the high crime areas of the island with a zero tolerance initiative.

The squad was trained by the military and was initially outfitted with mobilisation equipment by the coalition. Transportation to move the squad from village to village was provided by the coalition.

“This was the beginning of the assistance provided by the coalition. This was the first step to providing some sort of tangible relief to the Delta Squad to help reduce crime in the Federation. As time went by it was realized that the Delta Squad can suppress crime but the emphasis should also be on crime prevention. The Office of the Prime Minister's Anti-Crime Unit was responsive to a suggestion to approach the issue of crime prevention through reaching at-risk children. Through an MOU signed by the Orange County Sheriff's Office in Orlando, Florida and the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force, the MAGIC program was introduced into the Federation,” said Walwyn.

He said that the Coalition stepped up to the plate and provided airfare and hotel accommodations for an Orange County Sheriff Sergeant to come to the Federation and train 10 officers to teach the MAGIC programme through the Federation's Department of Education.

“The Office of the Prime Minister Anti-Crime Unit paid the cost for locally publishing the classroom material and the classes began on October 1, 2012,” Walwyn reported.

Assistance was also given towards the purchasing of firearms.

“Because of the Coalition's lead, two other businesses have stepped up to the plate and donated two more vehicles for Delta Squad in the fight against crime in the Federation.

“In the year that the Delta Squad was issued the equipment, crime has consistently been reduced in the Federation,” said the police chief.

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