By Carlena Knight
One of the police officers honoured for humanitarian work in St Vincent in the aftermath of last year’s volcanic eruptions is encouraging his peers to step forward for future Regional Security System (RSS) missions.
Sergeant Travis Crump was among dozens of lawmen officially recognised for their efforts at the recent RSS medal ceremony.
He spoke to Observer media briefly after Thursday’s event at Government House.
“I would encourage my fellow officers. As an RSS instructor also, preparing persons to go off on these missions is something that I would do and I would encourage my fellow officers to continue to do these things,” Sgt Crump said.
Sergeant Crump also explained how he felt about receiving such an honour and gave a brief insight into how the mission was.
“It felt good receiving and being recognised for our hard work and dedication. We went down there. It was unexpected conditions. However, we networked with our fellow RSS countrymen and we completed our task. It was rough. We had 12-hour shifts, no downtime but we completed it,” Crump added.
A total of 29 members of the Royal Police Force and the Defence Force were honoured this week for their work in the fellow Caribbean nation. The La Soufriere volcano erupted last spring, blanketing swathes of the island in ash and displacing tens of thousands of people.
Governor General, Sir Rodney Williams, thanked the brave young men and women for risking their lives, as it required both mental and physical strength, especially during a pandemic.
The contingent left Antigua through the RSS last April, and stayed for a little over a month to assist law enforcement on the ground.
The mission was in keeping with the commitment of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) and the Regional Security System (RSS) to regional safety in the aftermath of natural disasters.