00:00From just 12 women in 1955, the number of women in the police service has
00:05burgeoned to over 3,000, one of whom most notably heads the service.
00:11As a female commissioner, I am a fruit of the trailblazers, the courageous women
00:17who have came before me, women who shattered glass ceilings, who fought for
00:23equality, and who proved daily, over and over, that competence and leadership
00:30knows no gender. But while 69 years have passed, some things remain the same. It is
00:37on this note that the Commissioner of Police is urging women police to strike
00:41the balance between work and their personal and spiritual lives.
00:46There are times when we are tired, when the demands of our careers, families and personal lives
00:52seem overwhelming. We feel to pack away our instruments and let everything fall
01:00as they may, but it is precisely in these moments that we must persevere,
01:07because the practice of balance is what allows us to grow, thrive and excel.
01:16Reverend Father Eric Thompson thanked the officers for their service, but also
01:21urged them to foster stronger bonds with the nation's youth, as he noted that even
01:26young girls are going astray.
01:28We have to look at the changing facets of gang warfare and other emerging threats.
01:37This young lady with the guns, how many more do we have in our school systems?
01:42The future of the Women's Bureau will also be shaped by the evolving relationship
01:48between your members and the community. Building trust and fostering positive
01:53relationships with the public will be essential to effective policing in Trinidad and Tobago.
01:59Before concluding the service, members of the TTBS offered praise for the Commissioner,
02:05the officers and for victims of crime.
02:08You know Lord their challenges, the pain and the solutions. You give us no more than we can bear.
02:16So wrap your arms around every victim of crime and give them peace.
02:20Lord, help them to begin life anew, change their mindsets, heal their hurting and wounding hearts.
02:28Help them to start over again in Jesus' name. Lord, hear our prayer.
02:33The murder toll now stands at 415.
02:37Renessa Cutting, TV6 News.
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