NINETY toshaos in total from Indigenous villages in Regions One, Two, Seven, Eight and Nine were on Thursday sworn in as ex-officio justices of peace and rural constables by Chief Magistrate Ann McClennan. The swearing-in ceremony was the highlight of the afternoon session of the fourth day of the National Toshaos Council.

Twenty toshaos from Region One; 24 from Regions Two; 13 from Region Eight; 27 from Region Nine; and six from Region 10 took the Oath of Office, swearing on the Bible that they would without fear or favour, serve their communities in the above mentioned capacities with integrity.

While most of those appointed were men, a handful of the 90 were females. The latter were commended for taking the bold step. Magistrate Mc Clennan charged the JPs and Rural Constables to serve with integrity since the nation is depending on them.
“The oath is to ensure that what you do is right, with integrity, the trust is in your hands, so I want to congratulate you,” she said, adding, “the nation is depending on you for your integrity and your trust.”

They were encouraged to follow all necessary protocols and legal procedures, since in the event of any fraudulent activity; they too will face the brunt of the law. Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs Alfred King also commended the newly-appointed JPs and Rural Constables. “Deal with the issues in a fair, transparent and a sober manner, remember you took the oath without fear or favour, let us ensure that we conduct ourselves in a respectable manner, especially when we are carrying out duties dealing with issues in our communities,” King urged.