Dominica’s law enforcement officers are now better equipped to combat the issue of drug trafficking.
Ten Police Officers along with five Customs Officers graduated from a specialised training course Last Thursday.
The officers were trained in discreet surveillance techniques by their French counterparts from Martinique’s Drug Information Centre (CIFAD).
The training exercise was conducted as part of Dominica’s efforts to strengthen cooperation between the French departments in fighting drug trafficking.
Herve Nizard, French Honorary Counsel stated that, “There has been a strong commitment to continue such collaborations with Dominica.
“I would like to point out that [this is] proof of the will to co-operate between France and of course its preferred neighbor Dominica. I’m very proud of that. It’s our pleasure to bring some cooperation and training to Dominica and we would like you to feel comfortable just letting us know when and what type of training would you be interested in. Just to assure I will be passing it on both to the Embassy and to the authorities in Martinique and Guadeloupe to make it happen.”
Law enforcement officers were trained in both theory and practical exercises.
Davidson Valerie, Assistant Superintendent of Police says Dominica is grateful for such assistance from the French.
“I am satisfied that our officers are better equipped, more capable and confident in their discharge of law enforcement officers. This is not the first time that we have received training from the French CIFAD and we hope that [this will] not be the last time.”
Superintendant of Police, Yvonne Alexander represented Dominica’s chief of police at Thursday’s graduation ceremony.
“The former UN Secretary, Mr. Kofi Anan indicated that no country, no matter how rich or how affluent can on its own tackle the present day threats and that the only way we can all succeed is if we cooperate, so this training is an indication of the recognition by the French for the need for us to cooperate so I thank you tremendously.”
Dominica’s Comptroller of Customs Roderick Deschamps is optimistic that the new skills acquired by the customs officers will assist them in carrying out their functions more efficiently.
“I want to [respond to] what the Honorary Counsel said in terms of any training that we may need in the future. I will definitely look at that and see what our training needs may be and I will consult with you to know exactly where we need to go from here.”
The training programme also allowed for greater collaboration between the Dominica Police Force and the Customs Law Officers.