By Kisean Joseph & Tahna Weston
Sixty-nine new officers joined the Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda (RPFAB) yesterday following the graduation of Course 49, with the force’s Public Relations Officer Inspector Frankie Thomas highlighting the critical importance of this addition to the force’s human resources.
“Human resources is one of our challenges within the organisation, and the more numbers we have, the better equipped we are to serve the public,” Thomas stated during the ceremony, which marked the first-ever police training conducted outside the Sir Wright F George Police Academy at Longfords.
The ceremony highlighted the strong community support for the force, with Inspector Thomas acknowledging that “it is the support and continued support of the public that we can have this type of graduation ceremony people are beginning to appreciate the work of police, and even though sometimes we do not always get it right, the mandate and our priority is to get it right.”
Thomas said that while the addition of 69 officers “does not necessarily get us to where we would want to be, it is a helpful number, a number that at least at the end of the day we can look forward to even getting some additional assistance in areas that we lack.”
Inspector Thomas emphasised the timely nature of this recruitment, noting several major upcoming events: “We have a number of major events taking place for 2024, starting with the SIDS 4 conference. We have the World Cup cricket, we have Carnival, we have Independence, and here we have graduation and more cricket again.”
The force’s recent success in handling major operations was particularly significant. “Many of these major events came off without any major incidents or any hitches for that matter. So, we were very much on top of things,” Thomas noted, adding that the government had specifically commended the police for handling the SIDS 4 conference.
He also indicated that there are plans for continued recruitment — “We are hoping that at the turn of 2025, we can look forward to seeing another graduation ceremony another six months after thereabout, as long as we have the recruitment process well taken care of.”
Initially, Course 49 comprised 13 females and 60 males, with 10 specialising in firefighting and 63 in regular policing. Of the initial 73 special constables and one constable who began training on June 10, 2024, 69 completed the programme.
Head of the academy, Superintendent Louisa Benjamin Quashi made a passionate plea for the modernisation of the training facilities: “It is with a heavy heart that I again plead for the academy to be modernised to a standard befitting of its name and the quality of people who walk and continue to walk this compound.”
However, Quashi reported impressive performance metrics, with regular recruits achieving an average of 70 percent (highest 94 percent, lowest 40 percent) and fire recruits averaging 81 percent (highest 91 percent, and lowest 70 percent).
Meanwhile, Special Constable Calvin Donaldson Jr demonstrated exceptional versatility, securing multiple honours including the Baton of Honour, Best at Physical Education, Best at Drills, and Best at Military Subjects. Special Constable Dennis Hunte distinguished himself by earning the Malcolm Nicholas Axe of Excellence and Best at Fire Duty Subjects award.
In his address, Donaldson reflected on the intensity of their training.”We were prepared for Category 5, but in reality, we experienced a Category 5 plus, plus, plus, plus. Scratch that. We survived a Category 10 hurricane.”
Acting Prime Minister Sir Steadroy Benjamin announced significant investments in the force’s infrastructure, including the upcoming arrival of seven new fire tenders. “Safety and security continue to be a priority for this government,” Sir Steadroy stated, “and we will continue to support the police force in its efforts.”
The Course 49 graduation class also made history as the first group of recruits to participate in an Independence Ceremonial Parade alongside trained officers. Their training included practical experience in court procedures, execution of search warrants, and participation in tactical operations, resulting in successful arrests and convictions.
