Following the formal appointment of Mr. David Lynch, as Commissioner of the Royal Anguilla Police Force, on February 19, Premier Dr. Ellis Webster, and the Leader of the Opposition, Mrs. Cora Richardson-Hodge, expressed confidence in him, and extended best wishes to him, during comments to The Anguillian newspaper.
Their statements were as follows –
Dr. Webster:
My expectations are that he will continue the good work that previous Commissioners have done. Remember that this is the 49th Anniversary of the Royal Anguilla Police Force. As they go to their 50th Golden Year, they will want to make sure that they continue their resilience; that they continue to serve the people of Anguilla.
I want to see some community policing, with police officers stationed in the districts, and in the villages, so that they become one with the people and understand what motivates the people. It is not that the police are responding to an incident – but that they are there nurturing and mentoring, and becoming father and mother figures to young people; and providing that type of trust and credibility so that the older people can see that once again the police are part of their neighbourhood. Those are some of the things I want to see, and for the police officers to continue their professionalism.
One of the things that plagued the Force is confidentiality – and I want to see them continue to work on that as Commissioner Morrison was doing.
I welcome Commissioner Lynch to Anguilla and offer him the very best wishes.
Mrs. Cora Richardson-Hodge:
I don’t think that my expectations of Commissioner Lynch are any different than those of any other Commissioner of Police -which are to ensure the safety and security of the residents of Anguilla.
I hope and expect that he will continue to work well with the team that he has, and that there will be continued training and enhancement of the Police Force.
I think that in any organisation there is always room for growth and opportunity and so I am hoping that this Commissioner of Police is able to bring that additional level to improve on the skills that we already have here in Anguilla.
