Police Week continued in Anguilla on Monday, 27 January, with an interactive Open House Event under the management of Officer Paul Trim. He described it as an opportunity for the police to engage with the public, particularly school children who were present in large numbers from the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School.
The event was organised to provide an insight into the roles of the various departments of the Anguilla Police Force. Each department displayed an information table at which questions and answers were entertained. Demonstrations were also given – including how fingerprints are collected with the use of magnetic powder.
Officer Carbon, of the Community Relations Department, explained how her department engages in proactive policing in the interest of crime prevention. Among other activities, this department runs the ‘DARE’ Programme. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education)
The objective of DARE is to touch base with schoolchildren to encourage them to make good choices so that they can be the best men, women and leaders of tomorrow. It is designed for the police to meet with the children every other year starting at kindergarten, and culminating at 2nd form at Campus B.
Links between the police and complementary departments were forged during the event, as witnessed by the presence of the Gender Affairs Unit display table.