Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Shane Hamann | Members of the Regional Security System from multiple Caribbean nations participate in...... read more read more
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BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – Barbed wire, rebar, metal doors and some unlucky guards keep the prisoners contained in the “Yard.” They are demanding food and throwing things at the guards who are armed only with batons. The guards stay at a distance because they are outnumbered.
Suddenly a line of security personnel wearing bright, baby blue armbands that read “RSS” trot into the yard holding riot shields and form a line against the rioters. A second row of security personnel forms behind the first. They are armed. The standoff begins.
Regional Security System members, comprised of nine Caribbean nations, traveled to St. Kitts in respond to several security exercises as part of Tradewinds 2015. This included the prison riot scenario held with role-players June 3 at Her Majesty’s Prison located in the capital of Basseterre.
Tradewinds, is an annual and joint, combined exercise conducted in conjunction with partner nations that has brought together countries within the Caribbean for 31 years to strengthen their capacity to respond to natural disasters, humanitarian crises and counter transnational organized crime.
“Over the past 31 years, with Tradewinds, we are often training among each other but in different areas of the Caribbean so everyone will be on the same sheet,” said Sgt. Delroy Harris, member of the St. Kitts-Nevis Defence Force.
Individual countries included in the RSS have their own training requirements, but the overall organization also requires several combined exercise drills throughout the year.
When the RSS deploys to assist a partner nation for an exercise, the nations must work together to achieve a collective goal.
At first, there are a few expected misunderstandings but after getting to know one another these individual units become one body, said Lance Cpl. Alexis Isaac, member of the SKNDF.
It goes from being many small groups to one big one,” said Isaac.
At the riot, the RSS’s ability to respond with a coordinated and effective use of force were tested as they reacted to six inmate role-players actively worked to escape the prison and two other inmate role-players expressed agitation to the unfolding events.
“Because of the training we receive with each other, we know how to operate with each other,” said Harris.
Team building is a main objective of Tradewinds and was the focus of the multinational RSS unit’s response at the prison as they as they worked together to quickly stop the riot and capture escaped prisoners.
“With teamwork anything is possible,” said Harris. “Once we work together we can achieve all things.”
| Date Taken: | 06.03.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 06.04.2015 12:20 |
| Story ID: | 165481 |
| Location: | BASSETERRE, SAINT KITTS, KN |
| Web Views: | 240 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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