Relief efforts praised

The Regional Security System (RSS) and the Barbados Defence Force (BDF) have been commended for their role in the relief efforts last year following the passage of hurricanes Irma and Maria.

This comes from British High Commissioner to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Janet Douglas, who praised both agencies for the assistance they gave to the Caribbean countries that were affected by the hurricanes. She especially commended the BDF for the support given to the UK military.

The High Commissioner was addressing the closing ceremony for the RSS Training Institute’s course, Managing Defence in the Wider Security Context. The one-week session officially ended with proceedings held on Friday in the Hodgson Hall Conference Room at the St. Ann’s Fort.

Thirty participants from Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines took part in the course. Personnel involved included officers from the police and defence forces of these countries.

“The Regional Security System did a tremendous job coordinating and facilitating the region’s response and here I would put in a special word of thanks to the Barbados Defence Force and Barbadian authorities more broadly.”

Douglas continued, “The BDF provided extraordinary logistic support to UK military forces deployed to the region to provide humanitarian assistance. At literally a few hours’ notice, they set up accommodation and food for about 400 British troops and over the following weeks hosted the UK’s forward operating headquarters. It is true to say that without the support of the BDF and the RSS our military could quite simply not been able to do their job. This is international security cooperation in action.”(MG)