Basseterre, St. Kitts, June 25, 2019 (RSCNPF): The Ministry of National Security launched the Old Road Explorers Club on Sunday, June 23 at the Tryell Williams Primary School in Old Road, making this the seventh Explorers group to be launched in the Federation.
At the well-attended ceremony, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of National Security, Osmond Petty said that the Explorers are a partnership between the police, parents and the schools.
“We are not just formed as a club, we are moving young people and transforming the community. All the clubs are formed under one name, with one set of objectives, one structure, and one message,” he stated.
The Permanent Secretary revealed that the Explorers Club is being considered as a diversion programme in the Criminal Justice Reform Project.
“Juveniles who get in trouble with the law for minor offences can be sent to the Explorers for reform. The Explorers movement in St. Kitts and Nevis has been recommended to the OECS commission as a diversion programme and I am personally very proud,” he said.
Constable Valentine Pemberton was named as the officer in charge of the Old Road Explorers. He said that he was humbled to have been given the opportunity “to be used as a change agent.”
“I am proud to stand on this podium to accept the responsibility to lead the Explorers club in this area. I must register my sincerest thanks to the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force, and by extension, the Ministry of National Security for entrusting me with the duty of leading the youths of our nation,” he said.
He added that the club has the potential to cause positive change for the future generation.
“This club is not only for those youths coming from ideal circumstances. It is not just for the well-groomed, but it is also for those who we term as “disgusting” and “harden.” It is for all. I believe everyone has the potential to change for the better,” said Constable Pemberton.
The Explorers Movement is a part of the Ministry of National Security’s Crime Reduction and Prevention Strategy. The formation of community youth groups around the Federation is considered an integral part of broader community policing and social intervention initiatives.
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