PHILIPSBURG:--- The Police Force of St. Maarten KPSM has added thirteen new police officers to its ranks with the graduation of the Basic Police Training BPO Class of 2018 on Friday morning.
The new officers took their oath before Justice Minister Anna Richardson in front of the Walter R. Kramers Building (Police Headquarters). They received their completion certificates from Chief Inspector R. Appelhof of the Netherlands Police Academy, and had their epaulets, signaling their change of rank from cadet to police officer, changed by their family members.
His Excellency the Governor of St. Maarten Drs. Eugene Holiday, Prime Minister the Honorable Silveria Jacobs and the Minister of Justice the Honorable Anna Richardson, Chief Prosecutor Mirjam Mol, and NAPB President Inspector R.E. Mauricia addressed the graduates. They wished them well in their chosen paths and expressed thanks to the graduates for taking up the call to serve in the justice field.
Police Chief Carl John, the rest of KPSM management team, and representatives of the Netherlands Police Academy congratulated all graduates on their academic achievements and warmly thanked the family members for their support for the officers during their training.
KPSM intends to continue to train its personnel to the highest possible level and to lay the foundation for the highest level of professional police service. Two other classes or recruits are undergoing the same intensive training, one class will sit their final exams at the end of this year.
The ceremony was also attended by other members of the Council of Ministers, Members of Parliament, government department heads, representatives of various associations and communities, fellow colleagues, relatives, and friends.
Remarks
by His Excellency, Governor drs. E. B. Holiday
And a very special good morning and congratulations to the graduating Class of 2018. In the next few moments, you will be promoted from cadets to officers. Congratulations to officer:
1) Kimberly Brown
2) Shannathey Cathalina
3) Marcos Henrietta
4) Shirley Hughes
5) Tatiana Hyman
6) Janica Jones
7) Randell Macnack
8) Raymond Martes Stroop
9) Franklin Mathew
10) Joel Labady
11) Denzel Levinstone
12) Suini Pantophlet, and
13) Sabina Sabroche
And congratulations to your parents who I am sure have instilled in you the values required to take on this profession.
In choosing to be police officers you have chosen the noble profession of law enforcement. You have chosen to join the law enforcement community, a special and essential group of professionals. Each of you may have different reasons for making your choice. But whatever your reason I am thankful to all of you for choosing this profession. For choosing to serve and protect our community.
You have completed your Basic Police Education. You have been well prepared by your coaches and instructors from our Sint Maarten Police Force and from the Police Academy of the Netherlands. You have received a broad and all-around training in law enforcement for police officers covering classroom subjects, such as criminal and civil law; skills and attitude training such as physical fitness, self-defense, and service mindedness, and practical fieldwork, including the value of teamwork.
Your training has prepared you to be professional police officers. It has imparted and strengthened important values of discipline, respect, fairness, and honesty. Values that will guide you to master your work as police officers. I trust that you will internalize the lessons learned and values instilled in you during your training and that you will continuously reflect on, practice, and sharpen them as you take up your duties as police officers.
It is no secret that we live in difficult and challenging times. Times are becoming more complex as our world becomes more global. Besides the problems of our own making, we increasingly face global threats from cross-border crime, such as drug- and human trafficking, from climate change, such as stronger hurricanes, or from pandemics such as COVID-19.
Police officers are as a result on the frontline facing these threats and you will be expected to tackle increasingly difficult situations. You will have to mediate conflicts and to make split-second decisions in life and death situations. Persons will challenge you and others will tempt you and test your character. And increasingly your decisions and actions will be questioned.
Taking on this challenging job takes courage and strength. As you encounter these situations, you ought to stay true to you, stay true to your choice, and stay true to the lessons learned and values instilled in you during your training. Always remember that it is your duty to uphold the law in service of the common good and that together, as part of the law enforcement team, you stand stronger with a much better chance to solve problems and make a difference in our community. A difference that manifests itself through the freedom, peace, and order we enjoy in everyday life on Sint Maarten. This is thanks to the essential work of our law enforcement community.
Members of the class of 2018 as you join the law enforcement community as members of the police force of Sint Maarten may each of you be blessed for your courage to take up this law enforcement challenge, blessed for the invaluable services you will provide, and blessed for the sacrifices you will make on behalf of our Beloved and Sweet Sint Maarten land.
Today is a high point in your life and I hope that it will be followed by many more going forward. I wish each of you much success in your careers and expect to see you as leader in law enforcement in the future. Once again congratulation to the Class of 2018.
Thank you.
