ST. CROIX — The festival season on this island, which now includes 11 days of activities — from village events to the children and adult parades, as well as j’ouvert morning and a food fair — will see strong police presence as the V.I.P.D. works to give residents and visitors a safe experience, St. Croix Police Chief Winsbut McFarland told The Consortium last week.
“I want my community to expect that they can go out, enjoy themselves and be safe,” Chief McFarland said. He said police vehicles will have their siren lights on, serving as a deterrent to would-be criminals. “Your police department will do all it takes to make sure you are safe,” he added.
Chief McFarland said some initiatives utilized during the last festival season will be implemented this year, while new strategies will be employed. “Despite the fact that we as a police department have a lot of challenges, we’re going to make the necessary adjustments and do what it takes to ensure safety,” he said.
The chief said the St. Croix P.D. has been utilizing what he calls “smart deployment,” which includes the shifting of resources from multiple areas and redeploying them to areas — like the festival village — that demands more security. “Deployment is key,” he said. “But again, we want people in this community to go out, enjoy themselves, have fun, do whatever they have to do to ensure their own safety, but rest assured that this department will be there for you.”
This year’s festival season now includes 11 days of events, beginning on Dec. 29 and running through January 8.
Tags: crucian christmas carnival, us virgin islands, vi consortium live coverage
Share On Facebook
Tweet It
