The Commissioner of Police, in consultation with the Electoral Commissioner and the chief executive officer of the Seychelles Licensing Authority (SLA), has imposed a restriction on the sale of liquor during the election weekend.

The restriction will be effective from 11pm on Friday September 9 (tomorrow) to 8.30am on Sunday September 11, 2016 on Mahé, Praslin and La Digue.

This measure applies to shopkeepers, operators of public bars including toddy, lapire and baka bars, dance halls, discotheques and members’ clubs.

Noting that these places must not sell and/or deliver liquor to members of the public during the restriction period, a joint communiqué from the SLA and the Police says that they will be able to resume their normal operation on September 11 as from 8.30am.

The communiqué however adds that the restriction does not apply to restaurants and bona fide lodgers in hotels and guesthouses but does apply to any member of the public who wishes to consume alcohol in a public bar in a hotel.

Noting that the measure is to assist in the orderly conduct of the parliamentary election tomorrow and Saturday, the communiqué calls on licensees and members of the public for their assistance and cooperation.

The three female police officers who were among eight officers promoted yesterday (see lead article) have said they are ready to face the challenges that will come with their new responsibilities in the force.

Newly promoted inspectors Winnifred Baccarie, Vanessa Anacoura and Marie-Antoinette Gedeon have all been in the police force for over five years and have worked in several units of the force and gathered knowledge and experience through hard work and dedication to their chosen profession.

Police Commissioner Reginald Elizabeth said Inspector Anacoura will now be the station commander at the Central Police headquarters, Inspector Gedeon will be responsible for the traffic section while Inspector Baccarie will be taking new responsibilities at the Police Academy.

“We need officers in these key positions to ensure the structural organisation of the force works effectively,” Commissioner Elizabeth said.

Five new dog handlers and their dogs have joined the Seychelles Police Force following the completion of a four-month general purpose police dog course.

This is seen as an additional big boost for combating crime in the country.

The five dog handlers were presented with their certificates during a small graduation ceremony on Thursday afternoon at the Petit Paris based Public Order and Tactical Response Services (formerly Public Services Support Wing).

Corporal Eddy Luc came out as the best overall graduate.

The graduation ceremony was attended by the Commissioner of Police (Compol) Reginald Elizabeth, deputy Commissioner Vernon Hunter, Chief Superintendent Sean Jackline, the commanding officer of the Public Order and Tactical Response Services, assistant Superintendent Peter Dacambra, assistant Superintendent James Tirant, the commanding officer of the Seychelles Police Dog Unit David Victor, partners, parents and other police officers and dog handlers.

A group of 18 officers from Seychelles and Mauritius who have completed a three-day training course in boat search to counter illicit trafficking in maritime environments have received their certificates.

Eight officers were from the Seychelles Marine Police, Seychelles Coast Guard (SCG) and the National Drugs Enforcement Agency (NDEA), while 10 others were from the Mauritius Coast Guard and Marine Police.

The three-day training was funded by INTERPOL through a European Union (EU) project, Crimlea and the Norwegian funded project EVEX.

Criminality further reduced, crime rate stabilised

When comparing statistics recorded by the police from January to November 2016 there has been a reduction of 31% in crime cases over the same period the previous year.

From January to November this year the police recorded 3,456 cases compared to 5,087 for the same period in 2015.

This reduction of 1,601 reactive cases represents a decrease of 31% with the lowest recorded being 276 in the month of February.

A reduction of 560 theft cases were recorded this year compared to last year’s 1,604 cases.

The percentage decrease in theft is 35% while that for house breaking and burglary cases is 37%.

During that same period, 913 house breaking and burglary cases were recorded with the lowest recorded being 20 also in the month of February.

The Seychelles Police has commissioned its new fleet of 36 vehicles, one of which is destined for the Seychelles Fire and Rescue Services Agency.

The fleet is a grant from the government of India at the request of former Home Affairs Minister Charles Bastienne.

Besides vehicles, the package also comprises spare parts, materials for uniforms and police accessories.

Present at the commissioning was Mitcy Larue, the current Minister for Home Affairs; acting high commissioner of India Anindya Banerjee, Commissioner of Police Reginald Elizabeth, among other officials and staff of the Seychelles Police.

The vehicles, consisting of jeeps, cars and dog pens, will be distributed to different units and stations of the force.

It was Mr Banerjee who handed over the keys of the vehicles to Compol Elizabeth who later on handed them over to each station commanders and officers in charge of units.

The newly appointed Minister for Home Affairs Mitcy Larue yesterday continued her visits of the various police stations around Mahé.

Minister Larue and her delegation comprising Commissioner of Police Reginald Elizabeth, special advisor Sheryl Vangadasamy, among other police officers started their visit at the station at the Seychelles International Airport (SIA), Pointe Larue and ended at the Mont Fleuri police station.

The purpose of the familiarisation visit was to inspect the environment in which the police officers are working as well as to find out how best the ministry could assist the police to improve services.

At the airport’s station Minister Larue got the opportunity to interact with staff  and listened attentively to their problems.

“Since I am the new Minister for Home Affairs, it was an opportunity for me to visit the police family, as part of an ongoing visit. I need to make sure that I visit each unit that falls under my department, and for me to see first hand what kind of activities and services each department is offering to the public. It also gives me an opportunity to dialogue with the staff. I must continue the splendid work that my colleague minister Charles Bastienne has done so far,” she said.

She pointed out that much work needs to be done to bring the police department to the next level.

“During my visit I was made aware of some issues that my ministry will have to resolve such as the lack of resources. The police department is working on a new pilot programme at the Central Police Station to reduce the shift of the staff from four to three, due to the fact that working in the police department can be exhausting. So this new programme will give the officers an opportunity to be more pro-active, and more rest time,” she said.

The minister concluded her visit at the Mont Fleuri police station where she got the opportunity to interact with the staff personally in a closed door meeting to discuss about their problems.

“The Mont Fleuri district is an area that has got a lot of crime, and we need more workforce to reduce the amount of work the officers currently have to do. Also we have many issues in the traffic section; we are having many fatal accidents this year. We will have to put in place a national education programme on the need for the public to take their road safety more seriously. Make sure that people do not drive drunk, wear their seatbelts among many other pertinent issues.  In terms of crime in each station that I have visited the level of crime is reducing, but our target is to continue such great job, make sure our citizens are safe,” she said.

She added that the Mont Fleuri police station will be renovated completely to make sure that each section in the police department has their own area and space to accommodate their work. Also in 2018 the airport will have a better police station.

The accompanying photos show Minister Larue and her entourage during their visits.

A group of 60 officers from the Seychelles Police, including the Public Security Support Wing (PSSW), graduated yesterday after completing 18 months of training at the Seychelles Police Academy (SPA).

The graduation ceremony was held at the SPA at Pointe Larue in the presence of President Danny Faure, the Minister for Home Affairs Charles Bastienne, the Commissioner of Police Reginald Elizabeth, high ranking officers and parents of the graduates.

The subjects covered during the training included profession of police officer in the Seychelles context, self defence and restraining skills, human rights, acts, laws, rules and regulations in the context of policing, among other subjects.

The ceremony started and ended with a parade inspected by President Faure.

There were special prizes for outstanding performance: Trevor Rose won the President’s Cup, the award for Most Disciplined went to Frances Freminot, Best Academic went to Shawn Woodcock  and Most Improved went to Rose Albert.

Eighteen officers have learned new techniques in crime scene investigation and enhanced their knowledge of crime management on land and on vessels at sea.

This came about through a training workshop conducted by Interpol.

The officers who received the training were from the Seychelles Coast Guard (SCG), Marine Police, CID (Criminal Investigation Department) and scientific support.

This training was part of CRIMLEA I project launched in 2011 and funded by the European Union to the tune of EURO 1.6 million, contributing to enhance the capabilities of our allies in the region by giving their different administrations ways to combat piracy at sea.

The government recognises the hard work and sacrifices that the police officers have to make in order to safeguard our country and nation and to ensure that peace, security and stability reign in our country.

This is the gist of the Police Day message by Home Affairs Minister Charles Bastienne to all police officers on Police Day, celebrated yesterday.

The minister’s message reads:

“Today Seychelles joins the rest of the world to observe the International Day of Peace, a significant day also for the Police Force in the Seychelles.

“For some years now, the local force has adopted September 21 as Police Day in Seychelles.

“It’s fitting to commemorate both the International Day of Peace and Police Day on the same day, as one of the main mandates of this law enforcement agency is to ensure peace at all times in our beloved Seychelles.

“The government and myself recognise the hard work and sacrifices that the police officers have to make in order to safeguard our country and nation and to ensure that peace, security and stability reign in our country.

“Such was obvious in the recent events hosted in our country such as the political campaigns and elections, where these men and women in uniform worked tirelessly, braving long hours and difficult and intimidating situations.

“In addition, a lot have been achieved in recent years to bring down crime level and to render our communities safer.