Ausbert Regis.
National Security Advisor Ausbert Regis has underscored the importance of integrity in the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (RSLPF).
Speaking at the start of a Regional Security System (RSS) workshop to develop a regional police recruit training manual, Regis said that ensuring there is integrity will help safeguard against corruption among police officers.
“No training [and] no amount of knowledge and skills will make any sense if we do not first ensure that there is integrity among our officers. We may have the authority, but we need the legitimacy and that we can only get it if we have that respect,” he said.
He further stated, “It is not a desirable thing to have our customers, the general public, fear law enforcement. They need to respect law enforcement and you can only earn that respect through your own personal integrity.”
Regis said he hopes that such a principle becomes a main thread in everything included in the standardised recruit training manual.
That manual will allow everyone who becomes a police officer within the Organisation of the Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) to benefit from the same training and are equally qualified.