After months if not years, The Royal Montserrat Police Service, (RMPS) can expect to be relieved and positioned to provide marine surveillance like never before covering the borders, near and further of Montserrat, with what is aptly described as a ‘fit for purpose’ marine vessel.
During her monthly press conference on September 23 Her Excellency Governor Elizabeth Carriere broke the welcoming news to the media, who had been vigilantly following the progress in the need. The Governor in making the announcement expressed her delight that Her Majesty’s Government has come out in full support for funding the new police vessel capability for Montserrat.
“The business case presented to and agreed by the U.K. government recommends a large vessel up to seventy-five feet in length which can operate off-shore and over periods of up to seventy-two hours,” she said, announcing further the additional support to the service. That is the vessel, “will be supported by a smaller in-shore craft for swift interception operations.”
Decommissioning of M.V. Shamrock
She made the observation: “Now this is a substantial upgrade over the M.V. Shamrock which will be decommissioned in a timely manner, (as) procuring a long term capability of this nature will involve a full tendering exercise to be run by the U.K. government.”
The Governor also alerted: “…it will also require the increase in capability and capacity of the Royal Montserrat Police Service Marine Unit and the development of suitable onshore facilities to house the Marine unit and the vessels.”
The additional requirements to match the upgrade, she said, “…will have to be developed separately in consultation with DFID and the Government of Montserrat.“
She explained briefly how the further development will take place, hoping that the short term options will take place early in 2017, “if not earlier,” as she anticipates, and, “that the long term permanent capability will follow over the next year or so depending on the time it takes to ready Montserrat for ownership and management of these enhanced assets.”
The details about the precise nature of that capability and the timeline for bringing into service are still being worked out. She adds even more encouraging news for the RMPS that a successful company will train the current Police Marine Unit, in the short term as mentioned above.
The Governor said she is aware that all this surrounding the marine vessel has been a topic of discussion and some concern for a long time, “long before I got here in fact…” speaking to her delight on the matter.
“And I’m really thrilled that we have identified a process and a solution that will equip the Royal Montserrat Police Service with a robust suitable and dynamic Marine capability in both the short and the longer term,” she concluded.
