The St Vincent police commissioner, Colin John, has dispelled rumours that several police officers are receiving specialized training in the Russian Federation.
The WEFM’s issue at hand program on Sunday featured John saying that while individuals would have received scholarships for studies in Russia, he does not know anything about specialized training.
“Four years ago, there was a scholarship offer to Russia. Seven to ten individuals were accepted. The scholarship was for five years. In terms of their family commitment, I talked with them about the dos and don’ts. After three years, there would be no pay, and then they would have options, and all that.”
According to John, two individuals went off to study, and they are doing quite well.
“I have never seen the curriculum of the programmes, so I cannot comment on specialized training”.
John said there is also a police officer studying in Taiwan.
“There are police officers all over the world receiving training from Saint Vincent, including an officer with the surname Roach. He is a sketch artist, and he is in Taiwan and doing well”.
Following protests in Kingstown, which led to arrests and searches of residential areas in July 2021, there were reports that officers would receive specialized training in Russia.
The protest also left Gonsalves with a head injury.
