Above: the USVI

By the Caribbean Journal staff

The United States Virgin Islands has been awarded a grant of more than a half a million dollars to hire six community-oriented police officers.

The Virgin Islands Police Department will receive $562,600 over a three-year period from the 2012 Community-Oriented Police Service Hiring Programme.

“This money will help us fund more police officers who will be involved in community policing programmes of the kind that have been proven to reduce crime and foster cooperation between the territory’s residents and the Virgin Islands Police Department,” Governor John de Jongh said.

The funding is being matched locally in the amount of $187,500.

“The officers hired through this programme will focus on building partnerships with other government, non-profit and private organizations to enhance the department’s ability to solve problems in the territory’s many diverse communities,” he said.