School kids spend a day in police boots

(CNS): As part of efforts by the RCIPS to make encourage more young Caymanians to consider a career with the police six new recruits joined the ranks of the RCIPS this week for just one day . The officers who were all aged between 10 and 15 years were chosen by their schools to take part in the RCIPS Junior Police Academy initiative. John Gray students Caswell Ferguson, Elythia Ebanks and Urick McField joined Brandon Ramsay from Clifton Hunter High School and two primary school students Dayger Martinez of Red Bay and Jabari Walrond of Prospect who all took part and spent a day in the life of an officer.

Kitted out in police uniforms they spent the day touring George Town police station, Police HQ and the Air and Joint Marine Units. They also spent some time on foot patrol in George Town with senior officers and visited the Grand Court. Before they began their tour of duty they were inspected by Commissioner David Baines. 

The day in the life of an officer programme has three main aims. These are to further develop and enhance relationships between the young people of the Cayman Islands and the RCIPS; create a better understanding, particularly with Cayman youth, about the role of the police; and finally, encourage the young people to think about future employment opportunities within the RCIPS.

Commissioner Baines was delighted with the enthusiasm shown by the students throughout the day “Every one of the students fully applied themselves to the programme,” he said. “They were respectful and attentive during their visits to our various departments and asked somevery relevant questions. I’m sure they learned a lot from their visit and I hope that the time they spent with us will have made them much more aware of what we do and the different types of roles carried out by staff in our various departments.

“While Tuesday’s  visit was more about raising awareness of what we do and further developing our relationship with young people, if it has encouraged any of them to start thinking about a career with the RCIPS then that’s a real bonus for us.”

The youngest of the students, 10-year-old Jabari Walrond, was delighted that his school selected him to take part in the programme. “I was very pleased to be chosen. I think it’s pretty cool,” he said. “I would consider becoming a police officer because they help the community and keep the Cayman Islands safe. If I did that I would be following in my father’s footsteps – he is a prison officer.”

The RCIPS will be launching a recruitment campaign to specifically target Caymanian recruits later this year and officials said details will be made available in the near future.