THE ISLAND’S TOP cop Darwin Dottin has encouraged Barbadians to join the Royal Barbados Police Force, saying the agency has vacancies and there is great diversity in policing.
But he advised job-seekers not to expect all glamorous work and not to have to put on the uniform and walk the streets.
Commissioner of Police Dottin talked about the recruitment drive while delivering the feature address during the closing ceremony for the Identification And Seizure Of Digital Evidence Course – where 16 officers graduated – Friday at the Christ Church-based Regional Police Training Centre.
Dottin targeted those seeking to enter the job market, looking for career choices and people who wish to change careers.
Listing some of the positions and departments the force offered, Dottin noted that all applicants must go through basic police training before being placed in special branches or units.
“Two weeks ago after a church service, a youngster approached me and asked me if there were any vacancies in the fraud unit and [said] that he wanted to join the force to work in that unit,” the police chief reported.
“I said yes, there are vacancies in the fraud unit but the procedure is that you go through basic training and then you would specialize.
“And I could see from his body language that that was not something he was considering. So it seems as though people who would want to work in the force would want to work in what I call the sexy areas and not want to put on the uniform and walk the streets and interact with people and push the doors.”
He said that as the force sought to attract new officers, it would be looking at re-engineering its recruitment and organizational strategies.
However, he warned those who are interested in joining the force only to settle in one area that they would be hurting their chances of eventually taking the number one job because they would have limited skills.
“If you are going to be a fraud investigator, you limit yourself from the other activities of the force. After you have been there for five or six years, you are going to be looking to leave the force as commissioner. And if you have been only exposed to one speciality, you are not going to be able to lead,” he said. (AH)
