Marine officers mark Tiller Day with special ceremony in Saint Lucia

Saint Lucia: The Marine Unit marked a successful Tiller day on Friday, July 29, 2022.

This year again saw the hosting of a special ceremony, which was attended by the Commissioner of Police, Milton Desir; and the Minister for Home Affairs, Dr Virginia Albert-Poyotte. The exercise took place under the auspices of the Commander of the Marine Unit, Superintendent Kentry Fredrick. the attendance of the Permanent Secretary in the Department of Home Affairs, Dr Elizabeth Bailey, other senior officials, and members of the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force.

Minister Poyotte noted that she appreciated the opportunity to visit the officers in the environment in which they worked as this is closely related to their motivation levels and productivity on the job. Police Commissioner Milton Desir commended officers for their consistently high work ethics and reliability.

Albert-Poyotte noted that improvement to working conditions as well as the return of training, along with the support of the Minister for National Security and the Prime Minister Philip J Pierre, augurs well for a bright future for the Marine Unit.

“The prime minister has said he will try his best to raise the additional revenue needed to address urgent matters and I think it is encouraging to have a prime minister who is concerned about your upkeep.”

Tiller Day is celebrated every last Friday in the month of July since 1994. This day is significant for marine officers because it commemorates the anniversary of July 17, 1994 when the Royal Navy Officers handed over full command of the Marine Unit to Saint Lucian commanders. Since then this period is reserved for the recognition of the contribution and hard work of Marine Unit of the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (RSLPF).

At the ceremony, several officers were recognized in categories such as long service, acts of courage, and bravery.