Most of the 101 members of the Royal Anguilla Police Force, and over fifty members of the Voluntary Korps Service of St Maarten, were at a special service at the Mount Fortune Seventh-day Adventist Church on Saturday, January 26.
The occasion was the commencement of the 42ndAnniversary of the Anguilla Police Force. The service was conducted by the newly-appointed Minister of the Anguilla SDA District, Pastor Trent Berg, who delivered the welcome remarks and the sermon.
He commended the Commissioner and other ranks of the Force for their work. “I want to let you know that the officers are not perfect but we are praying for them,” he told his listeners. “We got to pray for them because God has picked them out, with their experience and knowledge of the law, and has put them in a position where they can serve us.”
Referring to the difficult job of the Police, the Pastor suggested that before persons complain about them, “you ought to offer a compliment because there are some of us talking who, if we had the chance to be in the Royal Anguilla Police Force, wouldn’t volunteer.”
Earlier in the service, Governor Christina Scott expressed gratitude to the Pastor and the congregation for the very warm welcome extended to her and the other visiting officials. She saw Police Week as “a fantastic opportunity to pause and reflect on the challenges faced by the Police Force.” She added that all persons should “thank, from the bottom of our hearts, those men and women who everyday put their lives in danger to make us feel safe.”
Chief Minister Hubert Hughes hoped that everyone would recognise the important role of the Police, in the maintenance of law and order, and the fact that persons can still sleep with a sense of protection. “That uniform means a lot and it should always be respected,” he observed. He expressed appreciation for the cooperation between the Anguilla and St Maarten Police and added: “We must realise the brotherly nature of our relationship between Anguilla and St Maarten.”
Commissioner of Police, Rudolph Proctor, was grateful to the Pastor and the congregation for hosting the Anniversary Service, and giving some of the officers of the Anguilla Police Force an opportunity to participate in selected areas of the service. Those areas included the Scripture Reading, the Children’s Story Time and the expression of gratitude.
Following the service was a march past, on the road in front of the Church, during which the Royal Salute was taken by Commissioner Proctor and the Commandant of the Voluntary Korps Service of St Maarten.
