A review commissioned by His Excellency Governor Adrian Davis of the Royal Montserrat Police service has been completed.
The review on the Royal Montserrat Police service (RMPS) took place on island between April 30, 2012 and May 11, 2012. This review was led by Larry Covington, Law Enforcement Adviser to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Overseas Territories Directorate; Deputy Commissioner of Police Anthony Ennis of the Royal Cayman Police Service; and Acting Deputy Commissioner of Police Alwin James of the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force.
According to Governor Davis, the sole purpose of the review was to review the RMPS strategic, tactical and operational competency, and service delivery and make recommendations that will support the RMPS in effectively delivering its purpose and mission in the future, with emphasis on the following areas: organizational structure; command structure and resilience; policing strategies and policies; community engagement; crime investigation and intelligence; professional standards and integrity; resources including budget; and training needs.
In answering the review terms of reference, the ‘Review Team’ met with a number of external Royal Montserrat Police Service (RMPS) stakeholders, all the RMPS Senior Management Team (SMT) every unit of the RMPS and reality checks was also conducted through unannounced meetings and visits to police premises and units.
The completed review of the Royal Montserrat Police Service (RMPS) by the review team, found that the RMPS Strategic Plan which sets out the direction and objectives for the RMPS over the next three years needs to be updated and there needs to be an Annual Policing Plan to drive the delivery of the Strategic Plan. The review also noted “There was an absence of a recognized performance management culture within the service.” They also noted the need for “wide ranging legislative reform” to support and assist the RMPS delivery of effective police services.
Although the review team was impressed with the dedication and commitment to duty of a large number of the officers and staff of the RMPS, there is still room for improvement. The report indicated that a number of external stakeholders and junior RMPS officers commented that the RMPS lacked dynamic leadership and a cohesive Senior Management Team (SMT).” The review team recommended that the lack of cohesion in the SMT needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency to ensure the effective delivery of the strategic policing plan, vision and mission statements.
After taking into consideration the police workforce numbers, the incidents and demand for police services, reported crimes, levels of serious and organized crime levels, the team concluded that the present strength of the RMPS, “is adequate to meet the current policing demand of Montserrat and that much more can be achieved through intelligence-led deployment strategies.”
An immediate assessment of the impact on policing with the planned construction and development of Carr’s Bay and Little Bay and a business case if additional resources are identified and required is called for by the review team.
According to the review, Salem Police Station should be reopened fully and manned appropriately. They added that the deploying of close circuit television (CCTV) could support the RMPS’s efforts to monitor entry and exit into the exclusion zones and electronic gate access should be explored.
As indicated by the Review, to ensure that the RMPS is ‘Fit for Purpose’ so as to deliver effective policing services, the RMPS is in urgent need of ‘Workforce Modernization.’ “The range of modernization is wide ranging, particularly with regard to the most valuable and expensive element, the officers and staff of the RMPS.” Areas that need urgent address are:
Ø Review of salary and conditions of service which properly reflects the 365 day / 24 hour per day RMPS service delivery requirement compared with other departments of the GoM who work business hours Monday – Friday with no weekend or public holiday workday obligations;
Ø A modern ‘fit for purpose’ uniform;
Ø Provision of recognized policing equipment for each officer;
Ø A ‘Human Resources’ strategy which addresses recruitment, promotion, retention, and competency training supported by Annual Performance and Development Review for all officers;
Ø Store keeper duties transferred from a police officer to a member of police support staff;
Ø A recognized police ‘Professional Standards and Integrity’ regime;
Ø The transfer of the following non-core policing functions to other more appropriate departments:
Chief Immigration Officer and Immigration functions and duties – consider in discussions with the Director and Deputy Directors of Montserrat Customs and Revenue Service the potential for the implementation of an ‘Integrated Border Security’ system;
Court Prosecutor duties to the Office of Director of Public Prosecutions;
Traffic Commissioner and related duties of driving licenses and tests to the most appropriate GoM department or newly created unit of government.
