On Monday September 21, a Police Community Support Officer Programme (PCSO) also known as a police cadet programme, was launched as a joint initiative by the Royal Montserrat Police Service, the Montserrat Fire and Rescue Services (MFRS) and the Department of Community, Youth and Sports Services.
Commissioner of the RMPS, Steve Foster explained that the aim of the programme is to have young persons working alongside sworn police officers to:
- Enhance the RMPS and MFRS interaction with young persons on island.
- Provide a possible career path in law enforcement and/or related areas.
- Provide a resource pool for the RMPS to find new recruits to fill internal vacancies, and
- Enhance the Police/Community engagement and relations.
At the end of their time in the programme, all participants will be endowed with new knowledge and skills from both on the job training and classroom based academics, which are in line with the required entry level for the service, among other benefits.
“Seven young persons are currently participating in this programme; two of them have been attached to the police since 2019 and may be sworn in as full time Police Officers when the okay is given to recommence the recruitment process,” stated Commissioner Foster.
The overall goal of the programme is to enhance community safety; encourage a love for policing as a career path; employ and encourage local persons to join the RMPS; and assist with the academic development of youth while also making them better rounded, and assets to the community.
The programme will be implemented for a period of three (3) years in the first instance and evaluated with a view of making it an ongoing programme, and a resource pool for the Fire and Police Service.