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Senior Officers Slated To Undergo Advanced Security Screening Using Most Recent Technology Available

https://zizonline.com/senior-officers-slated-to-undergo-advanced-security-screening-using-most-recent-technology-available/ #

Published April 5, 2017

(RSCNPF): As the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force continues the transformation into a modern day Police Service; one built on integrity and service delivery, new policies and protocols are being put in place to ensure both.

One such new protocol is the introduction of Polygraph Technology in the recruiting and selection process. Over the last months, all recruits in “Training Class 41” were screened using Polygraph Technology.

Commencing this week, all Senior Officers of the Police Service will also undergo Advanced Security Screening. The screening of Senior Officers was first announced by Commissioner of Police Mr. Ian M. Queeley in January at his New Year’s Lecture to the Police Service.

Commissioner Queeley said, “as we continue to look at criminal activity both within and outside of our borders, in order for us to be most effective we must operate in an environment of continued trust.” He added, “our country expects the highest standards of integrity in those we entrust with the security of our nation and so, as Commissioner, I have decided that there is no more a transparent way than to employ the most advanced security screening for our officers. Starting this week we will screen all of the Senior Officers, and then begin to screen all other Officers within Police Service.

Every Officer will be screened to ensure continued suitability for their current and future assignments within the Police Service.

The Commissioner stated, “we will employ a mix of advanced screening protocols, which are in line with best practices internationally. Our officers will be screened using the most advanced system called EyeDetect.” In addition, “Officers will also undergo a detailed Forensic Polygraph Examination and a Psychometric assessment to ascertain mental suitability.”

Commissioner Queeley noted, “once we embark on this initiative, the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force would be one of the few Police Services in the region to complete such detail security screenings on its officers. We know this will help to maintain integrity in our ranks, and continued community confidence in the Police Service.”

Horoscope

Thought of the day

April 4, 2017

Buckie Got It……Good morning my dear families and friends I hope that we all had a good night’s rest.

The thought for today says
“Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.”

I have strength for all things in Christ the One strengthening me.
Philippians 4:13 (LITV). Have a blessed Wednesday.
Today’s Tip

There are three types of people in this world. Those that make things happen, those that watch things happen, and those that wonder what happened.

News, Regional News, Travel

LIAT in fresh dispute with workers

Published: 4 April 2017

A meeting will be held here Tuesday to discuss how to get out of the latest problem facing the struggling regional carrier, LIAT, which is embroiled in a salary dispute with staff.

The airline’s Acting Chief Executive Officer Julie Reifer-Jones said the shareholder governments had agreed to intervene in the carrier’s latest disagreement with workers and will meet Tuesday to determine how to avert industrial action.

The unions representing the workers have rejected the company’s plan to pay salaries late because of its financial woes. The unions have also threatened to take action if the airline proceeded with the deferrals.

In a press release issued on Sunday, the pilots’ union, the Leeward Islands Airline Pilots Association (LIALPA) went a step further, saying it “will not stand by and watch the airline’s financial health continue to deteriorate at massive levels, to the point where LIAT can’t even pay salaries on time”.

It also called on the shareholder governments to sack the management.

“LIAT management refuses to accept responsibility for the sad state of the airline’s affairs, and instead is focusing on making the crew the scapegoats. The travelling public deserves to know the truth: The current management at LIAT is not capable of running the airline at this critical time. Their track record speaks for itself,” LIALPA said in the release.

The union also strongly denied claims that delays in service experience over the weekend were due to industrial action by the pilots.

“This has nothing to do with LIALPA and we are not involved at all. As a matter of fact, we continue to pledge to the Caribbean people that we are currently going above and beyond the call of duty to get the airline running at optimal levels, even to the extent of not having meal breaks and working 11 hour shifts. We have already worked almost an extra week without pay. However, this is not sustainable,” the release stated.

Regional Sports, Sports

Both Brathwaites dropped from ODI squad

Published: 4 April 2017

GEORGETOWN, Guyana – West Indies head coach Stuart Law said today Carlos Brathwaite’s dropping from the one-day side to face Pakistan will afford the talented all-rounder the chance to further improve his weaknesses and return a stronger player.

The 28-year-old Brathwaite was left out of the 13-man squad to face Pakistan in a three-match series starting here Friday, and will now head to the Indian Premier League to take up his contract with Delhi Daredevils.

“We just thought the opportunity was there for Carlos to go away and work on a few aspects of his game, mainly his fitness and bowling – getting back to bowling how he wants to bowl so he has been left out for those reasons,” the Australian said.

Kraigg Brathwaite has been dropped from ODI team.

“It just coincided that the IPL was there and we had no cricket after this ODI series and he hasn’t been part of the last Test series so the selectors gave him the option of going to the IPL, which I think is a good thing.

“He can get to talk to guys like Rahul Dravid and learn how to play spin and he’ll get plenty practice with all the net bowlers that are available. He should be able to work on his fitness and work on his bowling.”

Brathwaite, who shot to stardom after hitting four consecutive sixes in the final over of the Twenty20 World Cup to win the title for West Indies last April, has struggled in the one-day format in recent times.

He averages 13 with the bat from 23 ODIs and averages 47 with his medium pace, having taken 21 wickets. In the three-match series against England last month, he scraped just 42 runs in three innings and failed to take a single wicket in 24 expensive overs.

Brathwaite’s unrelated namesake, opener Kraigg Brathwaite, was the other player left out of the ODI squad, after also failing to impress in his 10 games to date.

Law said West Indies required more explosive batting at the top of the order and selectors had therefore opted for Chadwick Walton. However, he assured Kraigg had not been discarded.

“We spoke to Kraigg after the last series and we’ve spoken to him since. We’re just looking for a little bit more impetus at the top of the order,” Law pointed out.

“In the first 10 overs, the power-play – we’ve probably got to make better use of those overs when we bat. It’s not like he’ll never play for the West Indies in ODI cricket again.

“He’s got an opportunity again to get back into first class cricket and score runs, which he has done since he’s been back, plus it’s also a great opportunity for him to get into good nick and feeling comfortable with his game before the Test series starts.”

West Indies face Pakistan in the first ODI on Friday at the Guyana National Stadium and follow up with games on Sunday and on April 11.

The three-Test series bowls off April 22 in Kingston.

SQUAD – Jason Holder (captain), Devendra Bishoo, Jonathan Carter, Miguel Cummins, Shannon Gabriel, Shai Hope, Alzarri Joseph, Evin Lewis, Jason Mohammed, Ashley Nurse, Kieran Powell, Rovman Powell, Chadwick Walton.

Health, News, Regional News

$209m blow Govt counts the cost of NCDs

Added by Marie-Claire Williams on April 3, 2017.

The struggling Barbados economy is losing $145 million a year as the cost of treating non-communicable diseases (NCDs) continues to soar, according to Minister of Health John Boyce.

Boyce Monday morning told a consultation on a National Strategic Plan for Health that the treatment of hypertension and diabetes alone accounted for 58 per cent of expenditure by the Barbados Drug Service last year.

In addition, he said the losses due to lost productivity took the cost of fighting cardiovascular diseases and diabetes well above the $200 million mark.

The minister quoted from a report on the Investment Case for NCD Prevention and Control in Barbados commissioned by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Health Organization in 2015, which estimated that “while BDS$64 million was spent on the treatment of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, it was indicated that our economy may be losing as much as BDS$145 million annually due to missed work days, low productivity and reduced workforce participation.

“In other words, the direct and indirect economic cost of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes was over BDS$209 million annually, or about two per cent of Barbados’ gross domestic product,” Boyce said.

He added that end stage renal failure was also a growing public health concern, driven primarily by high levels of hypertension and diabetes in the population.

He noted that while Barbados can boast of significant health improvements in the post-independent period, and communicable diseases were no longer the leading causes of illness and death, health officials now faced outbreaks of new diseases, the re-emergence of infectious diseases in other countries, as well as the challenge of antimicrobial resistance, which dictate the need for surveillance measures to prevent outbreaks from occurring here.

“In January 2016, Barbados like other countries in the region, recorded its first cases of Zika. Rapid international travel and trade, population movements, water management practices and climate change are among the factors that create opportunities for the global spread of such diseases,” he said.

He also highlighted the progress made so far in the treatment of HIV, through the ministry’s Treat All initiative, which allows people infected with the virus to access treatment.

According to Boyce, the programme will also assist Barbados to achieve the UNAIDS 90-90-90 target, which seeks to increase to 90 per cent, the proportion of people with HIV who know their status; increase the number of people receiving anti-retroviral treatment to 90 per cent; and increase the proportion of people under treatment who have an undetectable viral load to 90 per cent by 2020.

“To support these and other objectives, a new laboratory is currently under construction at the Ladymeade compound. This new facility when completed, will amalgamate the existing Public Health, Leptospira and Ladymeade Reference Unit,” Boyce stated, adding that those were some of the areas to be discussed at this week’s consultation.

He said that the National Strategic Plan would ensure that Barbados had universal health coverage and meet its international obligations, particularly with respect to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

“This will include the need to identify appropriate models of care, the human resources required, the appropriate governance structure with supporting regulatory frameworks and cost containment mechanisms, with particular emphasis on sustainability, access to care and quality improvements,” he said.

This week’s talks will focus on health sector reform, health system efficiency and cost containment, patient experience and access,