In a show of respect and appreciation, the General Post Office in collaboration with Stamp Advisory Committee, commissioned and released a special issue of postage stamps to commemorate the fortieth Anniversary of the Royal Anguilla Police Force. The stamps were issued on Monday this week.
Acting Postmaster General, Marcia Richardson, who gave the welcome remarks, said the stamp issue was in observance of the significant milestone of the Police Force, and a tribute to the arm of the law charged with its enforcement and the protection of the Anguillian citizenry.
Ms. Richardson continued: “In recent years, with the cultural changes which have negatively impacted Anguilla, the economic recession and the increased perpetuation of various types of crime, the Royal Anguilla Police Force has been faced with some negative and at times vicious verbal attacks. Much of what they have done, and continue to do, has been taken for granted or ignored.
“It is mainly for this reason that the Anguilla Post Office, and the members of the Stamp Advisory Committee, decided to highlight the service of the Royal Anguilla Police Force over the past four decades. The Commissioner of Police, Mr. Rudolph Proctor, has on numerous occasions in his press conferences, expressed that the Police Force cannot work in isolation and needs the help of the people of Anguilla in combating crime. We all need to play our part to ensure that the Royal Anguilla Police Force continues to succeed in apprehending those persons who choose to destroy the friendly and virtually crime-free atmosphere which was once the hallmark of our homeland.”
His Excellency Governor Alistair Harrison, who has responsibility for the Police, said the ceremony brought together two of Anguilla’s most distinguished and important institutions: the Royal Anguilla Police Force and the Post Office.
“I think it is very fitting that the Post Office has decided to issue commemorative stamps to commemorate the Fortieth Anniversary of the Police Force,” the Governor said. “It has been an amazing forty years if you think back to 1972, how difficult the world was then, and how difficult Anguilla was then, and therefore how different the challenges were for the Police Force.”
He said he was very privileged to work closely with the Anguilla Police Force for the last three and a half years – firstly under Keithly Benjamin and now Rudolph Proctor. “I know the courage, determination and the energy that all members of the Police Force bring to their work and to the fight against crime, and to the struggle to keep Anguilla a low crime jurisdiction, and the island that we all know and love,” he stressed.
Commissioner of Police, Rudolph Proctor, said that over the forty years of the Police Force, many women and men had given their time and service to ensure that Anguilla remained a tranquil society.
“The unveiling of this stamp issue is in fact an honour to all who have served and continue to serve the Royal Anguilla Police Force,” he observed. “The Force remains committed to ensuring that there is an atmosphere where peace and tranquillity can prevail in this community. We, the serving members of the Force, have come to realise that there are many challenges…but I assure you that we are prepared to confront those challenges at every step of the way as we focus on the delivery of professional service to our people and country.”
Mr. Proctor lamented that it was sometimes discomforting in a society where police officers received limited and at times no support from some of the persons they served. “I can assure you that when we are remembered in any small way, it gives a boost to our morale and the purpose to serve you even more,” he added. “I would therefore like to take this opportunity, on behalf of all the rank and file of the serving officers, and those who have served in various positions of the Force, to express our sincere thanks and appreciation to the management of the Postal Service in Anguilla, and the Stamp Advisory Committee, for considering the Royal Anguilla Police Force at this time in our fortieth year history.”
Other speakers were retired Superintendent of Police, Carl Ruan, who delivered the feature address on “The Royal Anguilla Police Force – Then and Now”; and Mrs. Sharon Roberts-Hodge who presented the biography of her grandfather, the late Lt. Col. Claudius Roberts, Anguilla’s first Chief of Police from 1972-1976. Both addresses are published elsewhere in this edition of The Anguillian.
The stamp issue was unveiled by Deputy Commissioner of Police, Alice Proctor. The stamps are in the denominations of 30 cents depicting the Old Valley Police Station; $1.00 featuring the Police on Parade; $1.50 showing the Police Headquarters; $1.90 featuring Police Crests past and present; and $5.00 a portrait of Lt. Col. Roberts. Sets of stamps are available at $9.75 and First Day Covers are at $11.70.
The ceremony was chaired by John Harrigan, the officer-in-charge of the Philatelic Bureau.
