The Barbados Police Service is looking for more males to join its ranks, amidst a noticeable decline in that demographic entering law enforcement.
At yesterday’s Police Recruitment Fair at Weymouth Park, St Michael, Police Recruitment Officer, Sergeant Ronald Murray sounded the call, noting that women were joining the force in higher numbers than men.
This disparity, he said, was largely tied to academic performance as many of the males who applied were lacking the minimum requirement of three CXCs.
“We can say that the males are not going to school and doing the training to get the three CXCs they’re required to take them through the process. So, it means, then that we are having a deficiency of males to join the organisation.
“With that, I would like to implore on the males, when they’re going to school, to try to at least get some CXCs to give Barbados a hand. Give The Barbados Police Service a hand. Give the country of Barbados a hand because we definitely need you.”
Commissioner of Police Richard Boyce, who visited the fair in the afternoon, said the Service has been in need of new members for some time.
“We have a shortage in our numbers and we are doing everything within our powers to increase those numbers and have enough persons who can police Barbados and provide that level of security, safety and peace of mind to all members of the organisation and members of the public”, Boyce said.
Salary structure
“From a policy perspective, we are putting measures in place to increase the satisfaction of persons who are currently working and those who you want to see come into the organisation. That is, looking at the salary structure, looking at the whole facility improvements, looking at things that will increase the wellbeing of members of the organisation when it comes to policing.”
Boyce said an increase in numbers would also help the Service to respond and have complaints addressed in a more timely manner.
He said another recruitment drive would involve the introduction of a cadet programme,. The Commissioner said this was in the works and had received the nod from the office of the Attorney General.
“The groundwork is there and right now all we have to do is select a team of persons who will drive that process for us. Only yesterday [Friday], in speaking with the Attorney General, that was one of the topics in our discussions and it was given the blessings in the top tier in Government to move in that direction,” he added.
Acting Senior Superintendent of Police Stephen Herbert said a balanced complement of men and women was needed to handle the varying circumstances that arise on the field.
“There’s diversity in society and we have to deal with just as many instances with females, whether it be complainants or offenders, as we have to do with males. So we
really would want them to be able to run concomitantly. However, there are times where we need a firmer hand in circumstances and, not that our females are not firm, but we do need males,” he explained.
The recruitment fair offered the public a closer look at the diversity of positions available at The Barbados Police Service. According to Murray, the morning turnout was among the largest in recent years, with up to 20 applications received before 11 a.m.
Criminal behaviour
“We want to get as much as we can from this particular fair, because a lot of effort has gone into it and we definitely need police officers to join the service,” he said, noting that the personnel was especially needed in the face of the increase in crime.
Furthermore, as the make-up of criminal behaviour expands into financial and cyber crimes, Murray said there was a need for a diverse complement of officers capable of tackling the everchanging methods used by criminal offenders.
“With the crime wave we are having, we need personnel that knows a lot, not just a big police officer, but someone that knows about cyber security. If we gather in all different areas of this service, then we could all help fight the crime situation because it’s not just about traffic duties and the normal stop and search, we need to dig deeper with financial crimes and all those kinds of crimes that we could assist with.
“We want recruits coming out of university because we have capacity within the Service to accommodate those kinds of people. What we are looking for is young, dedicated people, people with good character. We want people that are medically fit because this process requires us to have a physical fitness test. So, in order to have that physical fitness test, you must pass a medical test first,” he added.
Murray explained that the recruitment process could take several months and involve tests to ensure that candidates exhibit the qualities required of a police officer. These include a polygraph and an interview vetting process overseen by a panel of senior police officers.
These senior officers, he added, would then send a recommendation to the Commissioner of Police. Once approved, the individual would undergo six months of training at the Regional Police Training Centre Seawell Christ Church. (JRN)
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