Beauty, talent and creativity took on a different meaning at the 2026 Miss RSLPF & Allied Services Pageant, where seven female police officers stepped beyond their everyday duties to showcase their departments, challenge public perceptions and offer a glimpse of what the future of policing could look like.
Returning after a nine-year hiatus, the pageant was staged on Saturday night at the National Cultural Centre under the theme, “Service Beyond the Uniform”, but its greatest value lay in the fact that it offered much more than the usual competition for a crown.
After a keenly contested competition, Officer Risha Albert of the Immigration and Passport Office (North) took the coveted crown.
The other contestants representing their respective departments were Officer Nadin Donnelly of the Police Band; Officer Desma William of Praedial Larceny; Officer Tyreaser Timaitre of the Scenes of Crime Office (SOCO); Officer Kershana Ramine of Central Police Station; Officer Livilia John of Immigration (South); and Officer Fernie William of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
The officers were tasked with promoting their departments to the judges and audience, giving members of the public a closer look at the work carried out across the force. The question segment explored how departments could better coordinate their efforts and address public misconceptions about policing.
A futuristic uniform challenge also invited contestants to present designs for their respective departments. This was one of the more interesting aspects of the competition, taking the focus beyond appearance to practical considerations about officers’ working conditions.
At least three of the designs deserve consideration beyond the pageant stage. With climate change bringing increasingly challenging weather conditions and officers spending long hours on the road, the ideas deserve consideration by the hierarchy of the force.
The competition also served as a useful reminder that the work of the police extends well beyond the uniformed presence members of the public encounter daily. By highlighting the responsibilities of departments that may not always be fully understood, the contestants offered a broader picture of the force’s work and showed how platforms such as this can improve public awareness and engagement.
In addition to winning the 2026 title, Officer Albert won Best Interview, Best Departmental Speech and Best Evening Wear.
Officer Desma William was named first runner-up and also received the Best Talent and Miss Congeniality awards. Officer Fernie William secured second runner-up and the People’s Choice Award, while Officer Ramine placed third runner-up. Officer Donnelly received Best Futuristic Police Wear, while Officer Timaitre was named Miss Photogenic.
The pageant’s return was significant not just as a competition, but as an opportunity for officers to showcase their abilities, share ideas and engage with the public in a different way.
The force should recognise that value and build on it. The pageant could become more than an occasional event if the ideas presented are taken beyond the stage and given serious consideration. Having waited nine years for its return, the public and the officers should not have to wait nearly as long for the next one.
