Amid growing calls to modernize law enforcement training in Antigua and Barbuda, Minister of Public Safety Sir Steadroy Benjamin has formally committed to placing the construction of a new state-of-the-art police academy on the agenda for this year’s national budget deliberations. The commitment comes in direct response to an urgent appeal from Superintendent Rodney Ellis, commandant of the existing Sir Wright F. George Police Academy, who has long highlighted critical gaps in the country’s current police training infrastructure.
Speaking immediately after Ellis delivered his appeal for government investment in a purpose-built training facility during the academy’s 50th graduation ceremony, Benjamin confirmed that the request would receive full consideration during budget negotiations. “Commandant, your words didn’t fall on deaf ears,” Benjamin told Ellis during the public event. “As you spoke, I whispered to my private secretary, and she said to me, ‘Minister, we’ve got to make sure that when we have our discussions this year for the budget, provisions remain for the construction of a police complex on this very road.’” He added, “My brother, you have foreseen the future.”
Ellis’s appeal centered on the reality that Antigua and Barbuda has made substantial public investments in key sectors including healthcare, education, and new police station infrastructure in recent years, but law enforcement training facilities have failed to keep up with the shifting demands of 21st-century policing. In an era where transnational and domestic criminal groups are adopting increasingly sophisticated tactics, Ellis argued that ongoing investment in professional development for officers is not a luxury, but a core requirement for protecting national security.
Under Ellis’s proposal, the new academy would offer specialized, career-long training across high-priority domains that are currently underserved by existing facilities. These include leadership development for senior officers, updated legal training for frontline personnel, hands-on forensic science coursework, specialized cybercrime investigation training, and education in intelligence-led policing strategies. The plan also proposes building academic partnerships with regional higher education institutions, notably the University of the West Indies Five Islands Campus, to elevate the quality of instruction and accreditation.
For Benjamin, the proposal carries personal as well as professional weight: the minister launched his own public service career as a member of the Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda, giving him a firsthand understanding of the needs of serving officers. “Whenever I address this body, there’s a sense of oneness with me because those of you who know me would know that I started my career at the Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda,” he explained.
The ceremony where the announcement was made marked a major institutional milestone: it celebrated the graduation of the 50th cohort of recruits from the Sir Wright F. George Police Academy, and Benjamin extended formal congratulations to all new officers on achieving the milestone. While Benjamin’s comments signal clear momentum behind the proposal as the government prepares its next budget, no official timeline for construction or specific funding allocation has been released to date.