BUSINESS
NEWS
CARICOM Chair
Pledges Support To
St. Vincent and the
Grenadines
Saint Lucia’s Prime Minister,
Allen Chastanet, has called on
fellow leaders of the Caribbean
Community (CARICOM) to support
St. Vincent and Grenadines’ tenure
on the United Nations Security
Council.
Chastanet, who assumed
Chairmanship of CARICOM on July
1, 2019, during an address to the
Opening Ceremony of the Fortieth
Regular Meeting of the Conference
of Heads of Government of the
Caribbean Community in Saint
Lucia, officially congratulated St.
Vincent and the Grenadines on the
achievement.
“It is another example of what can
be achieved once there is firm
resolve,” stated the CARICOM
Chairman. “All of CARICOM rejoices
in this triumph, recognizing that
this is a golden opportunity for St.
Vincent and the Grenadines to take
on board the calls for reforms at
the U.N. body.”
Chastanet noted that when Saint
Lucia was elected president of the
U.N. General Assembly in 2003,
CARICOM provided invaluable
support.
Said Chastanet: “Understanding
the importance of this new
development, Saint Lucia has
pledged a contribution to St.
Vincent and the Grenadines in
maintaining and funding the office.
I am sure my colleague Prime
Minister will not mind my saying
RPS Group (OECS) Inc.
Security Training Par
Excellence
Existing domestic situations,
coupled with the influx of
increasing numbers of people
from countries affected by
political and economic instability,
means that security forces in the
Caribbean need to adapt to the
inherent security threats. That’s
why continuous and appropriate
training is very important.
Which is why Hendrick Laing, of
RPS Group (OECS) Inc., believes
his company fits right into the mix
when it comes to providing the
level of training needed to combat
these threats. At RPS Group
(OECS) Inc., he says, no task is too
great and no obstacle too difficult.
“We offer training in every aspect
of the security business; however,
we specialize in close protection
(CP) courses -- hostile environment
close protection, protective driving,
and surveillance,” he explains.
The company recently
conducted the full Level 3
course, held in June 2019
at the Pastoral Centre in
Marisule. Laing said the
four-week course attracted
participants from far afield as
Grenada, Dominica, St. Vincent
and the Grenadines, Suriname and
Mexico and was a tremendous
success. The company hopes to
bring this level of training to other
parts of the OECS.
“In terms of training, the clientele
we tend to attract includes police
officers, customs officers, and
prison officers,” Laing says. “We
train them, following which they
gain Highfield certification (United
Kingdom). The company also
has accreditation from the TVET
Council in Saint Lucia.”
Laing says RPS Group (OECS) Inc.’s
competitive edge is by far its high
level of customer service and the
one-of-a-kind service it provides
in Saint Lucia, and possibly in
the OECS. Another advantage
the company boasts is its vast
experience in military training:
all of its trainers/facilitators
and instructors have years of
36 SL-YOU | It’s All About Business
that although this seat was won by
St. Vincent, it is also a CARICOM
success and we are behind you
100%. Hence I call on members to
also pledge their support to St.
Vincent in maintaining this office
and ensuring a successful tenure.”
Following a secret ballot held in
June, the U.N. General Assembly
elected five countries to the
Security Council, including St.
Vincent and the Grenadines, the
smallest nation ever to secure a
seat. Also elected were Estonia,
Niger, Tunisia, and Vietnam.
The five states will take up their
seats as non-permanent members
of the Security Council in January
2020, replacing Cote d’Ivoire,
Equatorial Guinea, Kuwait, Peru and
Poland.
experience in the Defence and
Special Forces.
RPS Group (OECS) Inc. was
formed from what was once the
Regimental Protection Services.
There are two components of the
business, one of which is providing
security services (armed, unarmed,
cash in transit, etc.), the other
being the Institute of Security and
Public Safety, which is a subsidiary
of RPS Group (OECS) Inc.
The company, which is based in
Saint Lucia, had been in existence
since 2011 as Regimental Protection
Services, but decided to have an
umbrella company as of last year.
Hence it was registered as RPS
Group (OECS) Inc., which has
been the umbrella company since
January 2019.
RPS Group (OECS) Inc. has been
a member of the Caribbean
Association of Security
Professionals since 2013 and has
attended numerous conferences
throughout the region that focused
on security matters. The company’s
network is vast, enabling it to pull
human and material resources from
its regional partners.
www.slyoumag.com | September-October 2019