Event Details

The role that individual firms can play in protecting the business and safe guard their staff came to the fore at the most informative and intriguing Crime Prevention Seminar hosted by the St. Lucia Chamber of Commerce Industry and Agriculture on the afternoon of Thursday 6th December at the Financial Centre. 

Interesting, informative and insightful presentations and discussions, led by representatives from the Royal St. Lucia Police Force, Digicel, FLOW, the Insurance Council of St. Lucia, G4S Secure Solutions and Innovative Business Solutions kept attendees attentive and taking copious notes.  “The Police should not be your primary security plan” was one of the key “take aways”, “rather you must play a role by being smart and taking precautions”. 

Numerous technology solutions and crime prevention aids were highlighted as well as basic suggestions about changing routines and training staff in de-escalation techniques were discussed. The effective use of CCTV and professionals to support in-house capacity came in for special attention. 

The often ignored issue of cyber security was well presented and discussed capturing participants attention. The application of more recent technological aides such as visitor and access control cards received specific focus from the company, Innovative Business Solutions. 

The Seminar was clearly timely and relevant especially with the recent spurt of robberies on island and interest in the subject reflected in the large number of attendees. Members have called for a longer and more in depth program where more questions could be asked, and more information shared on the various aspects raised. 

Gifania Edmund joined the ranks of the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force on August 17, 2009 and is presently attached to the Criminal Investigations Department, within the Southern Division.  Additionally, Ms. Edmund is a university student who currently pursues a Bachelor of Science Degree in the field of Management.

Shelton Flash is the Regional Sales Engineering Manager for C&W Business Central Caribbean organization.He oversees all sales engineering and consultation for C&W Business Product portfolio consisting Unified Communications and Hospitality, Connectivity and Cyber Security and Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity solutions.Shelton has over 12 years of experience in Telecoms and ICT industry in sales, design and support of Government, Enterprise, Hospitality, BPO and SME solutions across the Caribbean.  In his current role, Shelton has formed and developed a regional team to support 12 Business Units. Shelton studied ICT at the University of Technology (UTECH), Jamaica with a Major in Data communications. He also holds several industry professional certifications spanning process improvement and compliance, strategic sales and solution design. These include ITIL v3, Miller-Heiman, CISCO, Juniper, Fortinet, Avaya and Amazon Cloud.

With almost one decade of B2B ICT Solutions sales experience, Sterling Charles is a very seasoned Sales Professional.Having worked with Industry Leaders here in St. Lucia and the wider Caribbean, he has represented major brands such as Xerox, Lenovo, HP, Avaya and Honeywell to name a few. Due to his extensive training, his wealth of knowledge and experience, he has consistently and successfully advanced in his Sales Career. He now heads Business Development at the leading Business and Security Solutions Enterprise, Innovative Business Solutions Inc. 

Claudius J. Francis is an Insurance Loss Adjuster, Consultant and Arbitrator by profession and the Managing Director of the firm Francis, Rosemin & Co. Ltd. He is the current President of the Insurance Council of Saint Lucia and is now serving his eighteenth term in office. He is also a Past President and founding President of The Association of Insurance Councils of the OECS. Additionally, Mr. Francis is a founding member and five-term President of the Insurance Institute of Saint Lucia Inc. He is the holder of a Certificate in Hospitality Management; a Diploma (Distinction) in Principles and Practice of Insurance; a Certificate in Fire & Accident Insurance and a Certificate in the Evaluation of Electrical Systems for Fire Hazards.Mr. Francis is also a founding member of the Association of Insurance Institutes of the Caribbean and served as the body’s secretary/treasurer, the first Saint Lucian to hold the position.As a Consultant and Arbitrator, Mr. Francis’ services are sought locally and regionally and in 1993 he wrote an opinion on the question of how evidence given by expert witnesses is to be received by a Tribunal or Court of Law, as well the applicability of English Law in Saint Lucia’s jurisdiction. The O.E.C.S. Court of Appeal comprising then Chief Justice Sir Denys Byron, and Justices of Appeal Satrohan Singh and Monica Joseph unanimously affirmed that opinion. The decision has since been applied several times throughout the member states of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States.

Maria Boyce Taylor is the Commercial Manager for G4S Secure Solutions Barbados Ltd and the Eastern Caribbean. She has been working at G4S for 9 years specialising in strategic planning, customer relationship management and business development and she is a member of the G4S Global Leadership Fraternity which specialises in thought leadership in integrated security.

Walston Joseph is the Branch Manager for G4S Secure Solutions St. Lucia he has been with the company for 3 years. He has a background in Marketing and, business development and security risk. Walston has responsibility for the business in St. Lucia and is also a member of the Chamber of commerce.

Mr. Murchel Hippolyte of Digicel St. Lucia. 

The seminar ended at  7:00PM, yet it was a catalyst for deeper business security conversations that became evident by the energized interactions that followed, during the business mixer hosted by Saint Lucia Distillers Ltd. 

The Chamber of Commerce intends to continue to engage the Police and encourage its members to be more alert and proactive at this time as it appears that the criminal elements have decided to rear the heads.