PoS cops spread Xmas cheer to children

In an unusual change of pace, the police post at the Port of Spain Central Market came alive with activity last Sunday as the City Police, in collaboration with vendors and business owners in the downtown area, hosted their third annual Christmas party. They treated the children of market vendors and others in the Port of Spain area to an afternoon of fun and excitement.

The party was the brainchild of Cpls Dwayne John and Selvon McShine and was a way to give back to the community and foster closer relations with the public. What began as a gesture of appreciation, John said, quickly grew into a Christmas tradition that the police and vendors looked forward to participating in.

“One of our core functions as the municipal police is to be more community-oriented and personable with the people we serve and protect,” John said.

“It’s nice to be able to give back to the community, especially after a hard year of policing it’s nice to end on a positive note and let the community know that we are there for them. We started off in the first year with 40 children and now we’ve moved on to more than 100 so we are happy to help however best we can.”

This year’s party was sponsored in part by the Kiss Baking Company, Chang’s Variety Store and various vendors of the Central market.

Almost 100 children attended and were treated to an afternoon of toys, snacks, games and live soca performances.