After years of concerns about deteriorating facilities and working conditions under the previous ULP administration, the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force is finally receiving sustained, hands-on attention at the highest level of government.
Since the formation of the new NDP administration, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security and Immigration, Major the Hon. St. Clair A. Leacock, has taken a notably different approach to policing oversight, placing himself on the ground alongside senior leadership of the force to assess conditions first-hand.
In recent days, Major Leacock, accompanied by the Commissioner of Police Enville Williams and other high-ranking officers, continued a series of visits to police stations on the Leeward side of the island. The visits are part of a broader effort by the Ministry of National Security to understand the realities facing officers who have long operated in facilities affected by years of neglect.
Also present during the engagements were Minister of Fisheries and Central Leeward area representative Conroy Huggins, Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of National Security LouAnne Thomas, Assistant Commissioner of Police Hesran Ballantyne, and other senior officials from the Ministry and the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force.
At each station, the Deputy Prime Minister and his team examined building conditions, workspace environments, and operational readiness, while listening directly to officers about the challenges they face daily. Officers were given the opportunity to raise concerns about maintenance issues, staffing constraints, and the impact these conditions have had on morale and service delivery over the years.
The initiative marks a clear departure from what many within the force have described as years of being overlooked, with repeated calls for upgrades and repairs going unanswered. The current administration has signalled that policy decisions and budgetary planning going forward will be informed by what leadership observes on the ground, rather than reports alone.
Officials from the Ministry of National Security say the station visits are not symbolic, but part of a structured programme intended to guide improvements across the policing landscape. For many officers, the presence of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Commissioner at their stations has been interpreted as a long-awaited sign that their working conditions are finally being taken seriously.
As the visits continue across the country, expectations are growing within the force and among the public that tangible improvements will soon follow, setting a new tone for policing under the NDP administration.
