Basseterre, St. Kitts, October 10, 2013 (SKNIS): Deputy Comptroller of Her Majesty’s Customs and Excise Department Geriod Belle, has welcomed closer collaboration between the joint forces.
During the closing ceremony of a recent Drug Enforcement Administration Training which was attend by members of his department, the police and defence force, Mr. Belle stressed that greater cooperation was important to maintain security in the twin-island Federation and credited the police for including personnel from other agencies in the course.
“Things weren’t like this all the time and I really want to applaud Commissioner (Celvin) Walwyn for the mentality he has taken towards the advancement of law enforcement on a whole,” he stated.
Mr. Belle stressed that this type of training will lead to enhanced relations between the agencies.
“I’ve been in law enforcement for a while and I find it to be very territorial,” he admitted. “… I would like to see those kind of boundaries disappear. I would like to see us work together … to know one another, respect one another [and] have an appreciation for what each other does.”
The Deputy Comptroller admonished the 27 graduating participants of the October 2 to 5 course to share the lessons learnt in defensive tactics, firearm exercises, house clearing and raids with their colleagues to ensure the knowledge is passed on.
The training was facilitated by members of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration. It was attended by 17 police officers, five soldiers and five customs officers.