Commissioner of Police Mr. Winston James, on behalf of the Royal Grenada Police, expresses his deepest appreciation and thanks to all Grenadians and visitors for their cooperation and understanding during Grenada’s hosting of Super 8 Matches of the Cricket World Cup.
As a result the Royal Grenada Police Force was able to ensure a safe, peaceful environment for the hosting of the games.
This has been one of the proudest moments for the Royal Grenada Police Force, said Commissioner James.
Reports from all divisions around the country, including Carriacou, indicate that no major incidents were reported and all other matters were promptly responded to and handled expeditiously by the various Stations.
This is a major accomplishment for the R.G.P.F., considering the magnitude of the event, the large number of visitors coming to our shores and the increase number of social activities around the country. But this would not have been possible without the cooperation of the Grenadian public, Commissioner James commented.
Commissioner James was also in high praise for the Officers of the Royal Grenada Police Force.
All our Officers elevated themselves to respond to the challenges of the event, and delivered the highest quality service, this I am extremely proud of said Mr. James.
Special mention must be made of the outstanding work done by the Traffic Department under the supervision of A.S.P. Michael Francois and the Local Security Committee headed by LSC Director Supt. Frank Redhead.
Commissioner James also took the opportunity to thank the Officers of the South African Police Force and the Police and Defense Force Personnel from Caricom Nations for the assistance provided to the R.G.P.F. during the hosting of the games.
Grenada successfully hosted its Super 8 matches from April 10th to 20th, 2007. Nature Conservancy strongly opposes Legislation in Grenada to roll back National Park Protections
On April 27, 2007 the Nature Conservancy announced its firm opposition to legislation that would roll back protection for national parks in Grenada, allowing the sale of those parks to developers.
A just-passed amendment to the Grenada’s National Parks and Protected Areas Act gives the Governor General of Grenada the right to sell national parks land to private developers. Contrary to statements made by the government, The Nature Conservancy is deeply concerned about the scope of this legislation.
If Conservancy leaders had been made aware of this legislation, its leaders would have strongly protested the amendment before passage.
“The Nature Conservancy and its many partners have been working throughout this region to protect lands and waters for nature and people, and this decision threatens to undermine decades of work, devastating critically important places, ” said Andreas Lehnhoff, the Vice President and Regional Director for Mesoamerica and the Caribbean.
In a letter sent April 26 to Grenada minister of the environment Anne David-Antoine, the Conservancy outlined its opposition to the legislation and sought to clarify the record regarding a statement made by Ms. David-Antoine regarding the Conservancy’s position.
“I was shocked to hear The Honorable Minister of the Environment, Anne David-Antoine, state in a radio program interview that the Conservancy ‘did not offer any protests about this proposed amendment,’” Lehnhoff said. “Had we been asked to comment on this legislation – without question – the Conservancy would have opposed it,” he said.
Terry Adams Williams, Director of the Conservancy’s Southeast Caribbean Program, added, “This legislation seems to have been enacted so that private developers would have access to lands contained within any protected area, which is unacceptable. This move will have serious implications for Grenada’s national parks, in Mt. Hartman National Park, which represents some of the last remaining habitat of the Grenada Dove, a bird that exists in no other place in the world. The legislation will also impact the Woburn-Clark’s Court Bay Marine Protected Area, which
has some of the healthiest mangroves in Grenada.”
This legislation also reverses many of the recent positive steps and leadership the Grenadian government has taken in cooperation with The Nature Conservancy and others to develop and establish protected areas.
Minister Antoine had previously declared that the government of Grenada would “protect 25 percent of its marine and terrestrial areas by 2020,” a bold move that spurred other Caribbean countries to make similar pledges, including the Bahamas, Belize, and possibly other countries in the Eastern Caribbean.
Collectively, these declarations are being rolled into what is now known as the Caribbean Challenge. The Nature Conservancy and other partners also have been working with the government on a Master Plan for Grenada’s National System of Protected Areas.
Terry Adams Williams concluded, “In recent years, Grenada had demonstrated leadership and long-term vision with its efforts to design and implement a representative and functional national system of protected areas. With the passage of this amendment, the government has undone all the good it accomplished – all for the short term gain to a private developer.
