[dropcap]S[/dropcap]hervon Matthew is a member of the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force and is currently stationed at the Babonneau Police Station. Although he reports for duty when required and performs all the necessary tasks, Matthew’s work does not stop at just what he’s paid for. On Thursday 20 December he launched the second part of a handbook series, Personal Safety. The handbook provides safety tips and advice for a myriad of different situations in which any citizen might find themselves. Topics range from date rapes to safety when jogging and is being made available by Mathew to anyone who wants to learn more at its no cost at all.
This latest handbook is the most recent of a string of projects that Matthew has embarked on to sensitize people of his country on safety from his perspective as a police officer. It started off with a bookmark that he distributed then followed by part one of Personal Safety. Then he did public service announcements over radio broadcasts and even some interactive videos with some local artists. It’s his way of giving back Matthew says. “If someone wants to assist me or give me something for what I’ve been doing I will accept it but it’s not my intention to make money out of it, it’s my way of giving back to the community,” he said.
Matthew’s inspiration is not far-fetched. He says that he has been a victim of crime himself and in most instances, it was because he was not prepared enough. So, he hopes that he can help citizens to be ever-ready with the information provided in his handbooks. As for why he has taken it up on himself, Matthew believes that this initiative has to start from somewhere and with endorsement from the RSLPF and the Commissioner of Police, he’s putting in that extra work and ready to welcome anyone who wants to help.
The next project he has in mind is to create an app that anyone can access to learn his tips on demand and share with others. He hopes that companies like Digicel or Flow would come on board to assist him.
