During a press briefing on Wednesday, Assistant Commissioner of Police Jeffrey James announced the introduction of a Venue Operation Centre at the Windsor Park Sports Stadium during the staging of the 24th Edition of the World Creole Music Festival (WCMF).
“A Venue Operation Centre will be established at the Windsor Park Sports Stadium and manned by a number of senior officials from various institutions to include, Discover Dominica Authority and the police obviously,” he said.
According to James, a police command centre will also be established and located at the volcano office on the Clem John and Kelleb Laurent Stand.
“This is to allow for patrons who require assistance from the police,” James explained.
“The ground commander will be assisted by an assistant superintendent and she too will be assisted by inspectors and a team of police officers, private security officers, and volunteers,” he explained.
He further explained that search teams at the entrances have been briefed to allow only individuals with tickets or accreditations to enter through the security barriers.
James also stated that officers shall ensure that no prohibited items are allowed into the venue.
This, he emphasized, includes firearms and ammunition, “even if the owner is a licenced holder.”
“Therefore we are imploring…firearm holders to secure their firearms before coming into the park, because you will not be permitted to enter the venue even if your firearm is licenced,” James warned. “You have to make special provisions to secure your firearm.”
He made it clear that illegal drugs will be prohibited, “and we are saying smoking in the public is not allowed, so in this case smoking of cannabis is illegal and will not be permitted.”
He added that knives, cutlasses and ice picks, cigarette lighters, and any such items deemed to be offensive weapons, will not be allowed in the park.
Meanwhile, Deputy Police Chief Lincoln Corbette revealed that all rest days for police officers have been canceled.
“All rest days have been canceled, so we expect all officers on [the] island to be working,” he said.
“You will have significant numbers, enough officers to police the event, and over the past 23 years of hosting the event we have had a lot of officers and I dare say that because of our presence, too, we have not had any major incidents,” he said.
According to Corbette, this will allow patrons to feel “safe enough that they can come and enjoy themselves without having any fear.”
“But officers who are on vacation, those who are willing to work have been asked to come back and quite a bit of them have returned to work,” he stated.
He said officers will be on duty at the Windsor Park Sports Stadium, around the City of Roseau and the outskirts.
“We will be patrolling,” he stated.
The three nights of pulsating rhythm, featuring various musical genres, will be held from October 25-27, 2024.
Leadership matters most in any organisation. The CDPF is lead by incoherent thug who cannot put two rational sentences together.
This morning I listened to the Minister of National Security on Q95 trying to explain himself. The guy was mostly indecipherable. No wonder those who are under his command act without reason.
You have to put an erudite, articulate person to lead an organisation such as a police force in order to devise feasible and proper plans, and articulate them to win public
confidence.
Mr. Blackmoore does not possess the cognitive ability of a competent Minister of National Security. Assigning that ministerial post to Blackmore is like taking a janitor to be a nuclear physicist.
Yes Jeffrey and Corbette..With such people in top leadership, it’s no wonder the police force is where it is.OMG!
“and we are saying smoking in the public is not allowed” Oh really I hope that includes cigarette smoke too EH!