Attention!

The Barbados Defence Force (BDF) has received 22 new helping hands in the fight to ensure the preservation of the integrity of that institution.

This afternoon 22 officers graduated the six-week military police course 1/19, during a ceremony held at the Main Guard, The Garrison.

In delivering the feature remarks at the ceremony, Chief of Staff at the BDF Colonel Glyne Grannum explained that while the military was a society, it was by no means insulated from the ills which the wider society faces. He explained that while the army enjoys a very high code of conduct, now was not the time to be letting their guard down, as the nature of crime has evolved and therefore as the vanguards of the country’s national security, they must not allow such scourges to infiltrate the system.

“I know that the state of nature is an evil with a spirit that unfortunately walks among many organizations and seeks to put its narrow individual interest, financial or otherwise, above the interest of the organization,” Grannum said, warning the new officers to keep their eyes affixed not just on negative trends locally, but across the globe as well.

Military officers standing at attention in the presence of their superiors today.

He added:” Drug abuse is very unfortunate, but it is very prevalent in Barbadian society. So, you as military police must understand that the military as a society within a society must be on guard against those risk. There are things which are happening in Barbadian society today that didn’t happen years ago. So, there are risks and threats that we are exposed to and need to deal with, which are evolutionary. They evolved from things we never thought would make their way across the globe into Barbados. The army is not like Star Trek with shields up and closed off from society, we need to ensure that our laws and policing are up to the task.”

The veteran soldier noted that apart from maintaining discipline in physical spaces, the new military police officers needed to be mindful of possible breakdown in discipline in cyberspace. He argued that acts of disrespect perpetrated on social media, were just as egregious as if they were committed in the presence of high-ranking officers.

“Barbados in 2019 is a modern society, it is a connected society. So, the things that once upon a time that we would read about in the newspaper that happen over and away, predatory behaviour that we read on the internet, are things which we must now be on guard for. Sexual offences, offences in the cyber domain are things which must now be considered. Misconduct in the cyber domain is the same as misconduct in the presence of a superior,” stressed Grannum.

He further admonished, “I expect from you the highest of standards. This Barbados Defence Force has been flying high for 41 years and you officers are now the main guard. I expect that you would apply what you have learnt fairly, firmly and without fear. I expect that you would enforce the law regardless of the insults because people will insult you and call you names of the worst kind. You need to remember that this is par for the course”
colvillemounsey@barbadostoday.bb