 Coming to you from our GIO Studios, I am Anicia Antoine and this is your Monday News Brief. At a time when there is increasing public demand to produce dedicated and honest police officers, the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force has welcomed 49 new police officers into its ranks. On Friday, May 24, 2019, the successful officers of Course 36 were ushered into the fold and were reminded that it takes a special blend of skills and qualities to become effective officers. The new officers came at a time when the country has placed tremendous focus on citizen safety, seeking to reduce the level of serious crimes by 45% by 2022. The Attorney General, Stephen Julian, reminded the new officers that their role involved adapting and becoming responsible for the reforms in the areas of citizen security. Julian believes that the intervention by government to increase the capacity within the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force is significant and timely. He hopes that the new officers will serve as catalyst for the continued regeneration of the police force. Luciano Gad was awarded the best recruit of Course 36. The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association Education Foundation, in collaboration with its corporate partners, have organised a series of training programmes to support the development of Caribbean industry professionals. As part of this initiative, the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association Education Foundation and Partnership with Virgin Holidays have officially launched the Hard Felt Guest Care to welcome the world training series in Saint Lucia. The Education Foundation has awarded more than US$2 million in scholarships and grants, to applicants who demonstrate a strong commitment to the hotel and tourism industry. Chairman of the CHTAEF, Caroline Trebettskoi, stated that 78 hospitality professionals will get an opportunity to attend the training sessions. The training programme will commence on Monday, September 16, 2019 and culminate on Thursday, September 19, 2019. Saint Lucia's National Shutdown Policy was last reviewed in 2011 and is currently in the process of reviewing that policy document with the help of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency, CELIMA. The National Shutdown Policy speaks to the systematic closure of a country before the impact of a known hazard and the reactivation of that country after the oil clear has been given. The acting director of the National Emergency Management Organization, NIMO, Doreen Gustav, says although the policy is broad based in nature, there are some gaps which were highlighted in 2018 during the passage of Tropical Storm Kirk. She says with the 2019 Hurricane season fast approaching, it is imperative that Saint Lucia strengthen those gaps. NIMO's programme officer, Andrew George, says without the systematic closure of the country in times of disaster, there can be chaos. If the aim, he says, is to protect lives as much as possible. This has been your media news brief. Thank you for watching.