The Malcolm Nicholas Cup has again been removed from Police Week activities

– Advertising –

By Carlena Knight

[email protected]

For the third year in a row, the popular Malcolm Nicholas Cup, which has long been a staple of the annual calendar of Police Week events, will not take place.

Police public relations officer Inspector Frankie Thomas broke the disappointing news Tuesday during an interview with state media where he described this year’s activities.

The competition, which was introduced in the early 1970s, gave firefighters and firefighters from stations across the island the chance to show off their firefighting skills as quickly as possible.

Johnson’s Point Fire Station last earned bragging rights in 2019.

According to Thomas, despite the absence of the marquee event, the fire department will host another activity.

“Unfortunately we won’t have the competition… I know many of us will be a little disappointed but the circumstances won’t allow us to have it the way we would like.

“What we will do, however, is the fire department will have a display at police headquarters as part of the open house display. So they will be part of it… from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.,” Thomas explained.

This open house exhibition will take place on September 5 at the American Road facility.

Another popular event, the Drama Presentation and Variety Concert, will take place September 10 at the Antigua Recreation Grounds (ARG) beginning at 8 p.m. Admission is $20.

The 54th anniversary of Police Week will be preceded by several events.

These include a Mount McNish hike on August 20, a netball competition on August 24, a fitness jam on August 26, and a road race on August 28.

“We realized that the week itself is too short to contain everything, so we tried as much as possible to have these pre-events to at least give you an idea,” Thomas explained.

One of the most anticipated events is the Queen’s Show which will see five ladies representing different districts and departments of the Royal Antigua and Barbuda Police Force (RPFAB) compete for the crown on September 3 at the ARG at 20 hours. Admission is $20.

It is the first time since 2019 that Police Week will be held face-to-face, as the Covid-19 pandemic has forced police to hold a number of events virtually.

Thomas explained that the agents are looking forward to finally being able to fully interact with each other and with the public.

This interaction kicks off with a church service and brunch on September 4.

“This time we are planning to have a divine service at Swetes Wesleyan Holiness Church and it will start at 9am. After this service, we plan to stay in the Swetes community and have brunch at the Swetes playground. That in itself will be a community-focused Sunday so to speak,” Thomas detailed.

On September 6, the gendarmes will organize their inter-house sports day.

Sick and locked-up officers will be visited on September 7 and given food parcels, while the basic calypso competition will take place at the ARG later that night. It starts at 8 p.m. and admission is $20.

The Veterans Cocktail will take place at the Sir Wright F George Academy on September 8 at 5 p.m.

“It’s more true for officers who would have reached 18+ in service and it’s kind of our way of showing them our appreciation for their hard work over the years of service,” Thomas added.

September 9 will see a sports day, while a shooting competition will take place the next day at Crabbs Shooting Range at 10am.

The week of activities will end with a day at the beach on September 11th.

The theme for this year’s Police Week is “Addressing Challenges Together”.

– Advertising –