Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell has called on the Police High Command of the Royal Grenada Police Force to set up two special units, one to deal with sexual offences, and the other to deal with young offenders and youth violence.

The call was made at a "Touching Base" meeting last week Thursday between the Prime Minister, Minister in the Ministry of National Security, Senator Einstein Louison, Police Commissioner Winston James and members of the Police High Command.

Dr. Mitchell said that it must be recognized that sexual offence investigations were complex and required investigators who were not only exceptionally experienced officers but who also had the skills and empathy to deal with the victims whose lives would never be the same.
The Prime Minister stressed that persons who suffer at the hands of sexual predators need special care and attention and called for the inclusion of Psychologist and Social Workers on the Sexual Offences Unit.

Dr. Mitchell and Sen. Louison also revealed plans for the establishment of a Young offenders Unit that will hold youth accountable for their unlawful behavior and ensure that society is protected from youth who break the law.

Prime Minister Mitchell and members of the High Command re-emphasized the need for professionals like teachers, psychologists and social workers to work with the unit in order to fully rehabilitate offenders. The group agreed that a large part of the work of this unit would be crime prevention.

The meeting agreed that the police would need to reach out to the young people and help them to stay on the right path. The Royal Grenada Police Force was commended by both Prime Minister Mitchell and Sen. Louison for its hard work and dedication towards maintaining law and order throughout the country.

Minister Louison praised the force for being able to identify its own mistakes and work on correcting them. Prime Minister Mitchell reminded the officers present that no one was above the law including politicians and that the Police Force must be independent and free from political interference.

The Grenadian leader told the gathering that politicians who seek to create partisanship within the police force could suffer a serious backlash when they demit office. He said that when it was his turn to leave office he wanted to know that the police force was independent and professional and serving the interest of the entire country.