The meritorious service of twenty-one officers of the Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda was highly praised as they each received the Regional Security System (RSS) Medal recently. The officers served as members of the RSS contingent offering humanitarian assistance, disaster response, recovery and rehabilitation to Barbuda and the Commonwealth of Dominica, following the devastating Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017. 

During the investiture ceremony which took place at Government House, His Excellency, the Governor General of Antigua and Barbuda, Sir Rodney Williams, commended the officers for risking their lives and sacrificing their comfort to assist the victim and noted that the medals were a sign of gratitude from not only the nation but also the region. “While there are many duties which I perform as Governor General, one of my most inspiring and satisfying functions is to celebrate the achievements and contributions of our citizens… This is what investiture ceremonies are all about – creating those special moments of gratitude for recipients, their friends and families,” he stated. Pointing out that even in times of disaster “elements in our society” will take advantage of the vulnerable, the Governor General affirmed that: “It therefore requires, more often than not, the introduction of specially trained personnel to assist in the orderly distribution of relief supplies, the maintenance of law and order and the rebuilding process. This infusion of experts is precisely what happened on several occasions in our region, through the leadership and guidance of the entity known as the Regional Security System.” 

The recipients of the Regional Security System Medal for outstanding and meritorious service are: Acting Commissioner of Police Atlee P Rodney; Senior Sergeant Lelieth Joseph; Corporal Michael Henderson; Corporal Randolph Moses; Corporal Conrad Anthony; Constable Leroy Jeffrey; Constable Randy Harris; Constable Cosmos Richardson; Constable Anestine Massicot; Constable Sean Bretney; Constable Zamfir Carr; Sr Sergeant Claude Elvin; Corporal Amelia Browne; Corporal Yohan Johnson; Corporal Robertson Joseph; Corporal Diana Hector; Corporal Shem Prince; Constable Germaine Gordon; Constable Nikolai King; Constable Sheldon Roberts; and Constable Othneil Martin.