Meet the traffic officer driven to make a difference

Traffic officers have to combat the forces of weather and vehicle exhaust fumes on the job. However, considering that the number of registered vehicles has increased from just over 10,000 in the early 2000s to in excess of 30,000 today, frustrated drivers are perhaps their most dangerous occupational safety hazard.

Corporal McLeon Williams has found a way to make it look easy, smiling and whistling as he waves weary-of-waiting drivers along. “I decided, let me try and do something to actually bring a warmth to motorists’ heart, so I came up with my own way of doing things, the whistling and so forth, because if you can see a happy policeman, it tells you that he is making an effort to get you from one point to the next and while doing so, keeping your heart at ease.”

Corporal Williams was enlisted in the Royal St Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force on December 24, 2001. Jokingly referring to himself as a ‘Christmas Police’, he recounted that as a youth, he felt a need for more protection in his community of Richland Park. Also motivated by exemplary members of the community who were police officers at the time, he decided that joining the force was the best way to serve. He has previously worked on the beat, security detail and at Special Branch, but traffic is his favourite assignment.

“Growing up, I used to always hear about ‘Goldteeth’. I always say, I want to build a name for myself, and what other place to do it than traffic… but not just building a name for name’s sake; I want to make a difference to our society.”

On mornings, motorists look forward to Williams being posted at the roundabout in Arnos Vale, as he is considered the most effective officer at this high-traffic point. He explained that he uses a time method to keep the traffic moving. “Coming from Fountain I’ll give you a minute and a half to two minutes, and I’ll give coming from Calliaqua say…three minutes, because they have the heavier bulk of traffic. Sometimes you try and merge it to see how well it works. It all boils down to the reception you get from the public.” 

When Corporal Williams was announced as SVG’s Best Police Officer at the Best of SVG 2017 awards ceremony, he received a standing ovation. Such is his unanimous acceptance, a rarity for members of an institution often at odds with the public.

Williams said he was elated to receive the award, not only for himself, but also for the police force. “I was home on sick leave, and when I got the news that I was nominated as one of St Vincent’s best, it made me feel a whole lot better about myself. I called my immediate supervisor and he was the first to actually congratulate me on being a nominee. It’s not every day that the public could speak well about our organization. I think we are a good organization; we have a lot of positive input; it’s just that sometimes our negative part outshines us.”

Teamwork, as well as listening to public feedback are very important values to Corporal Williams. “I have to give kudos to the other guys because, without them, I can’t get to do what I’m doing now; so, they play a part in my success. Whatever feedback I get from the public, I always try to tell them it’s not just me. There is no one-man show when it comes to traffic.”