BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE 2016 edition of the annual Law Enforcement Officers Drill Competition is expected to provide keen competition, according to Captain Nigel Williams of the St. Kitts and Nevis Defence Force.
Scheduled for Friday (Sept. 30) at the Bay Front in Basseterre, the event will again feature some nine teams from the various law enforcement divisions within the Federation.
They are: Defending Team Champion Customs and Excise Department; two teams from the Police Force – one from St. Kitts and the other from Nevis; Fire and Rescue Services; three teams from St. Kitts and Nevis Defence Force; and one team each from Her Majesty’s Prison and the St. Kitts and Nevis Port Authority.
Williams noted that the competition is usually a display of discipline and love for the agency within which the ranks work, since no monetary prizes are up for grabs but trophies.
“What it does is that it sharpens you to drills. Drills are all about discipline, but besides that it encourages the various organizations to sharpen their skills. In this competition, the first thing that is being judged, for example, there will be an inspection. They would be judged based on the way they are dressed,” Williams said.
He explained that discipline is outlined in the way the competitors carry themselves, adding that the competitors clothing must be “well seamed, buttons turned in and their shoes shining”.
“That is the very first part of the competition which would carry 10 points. Everyone will start with 100 points and you will lose points from there on.”
He implored persons to come out and support the competition, but is reminding them to be on their best behaviour and abide by the policies the organizers have implemented.
“This is going to be like a military setting and it’s once again going to be at the Bay Front right in front of RAMS,” Captain Williams said.
This announcement follows logistical challenges the organizers faced last year when several competitors were impeded by the large crowd that had gathered to witness the display.
Prizes up for grabs include plaques for all participants, trophies for the top three finishers in the team competition as well as individual awards.
