Celebrating 31 years of service to the nation

Five stalwarts of the Royal St Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force are celebrating 31 years of service to this country.{{more}}

On February 28, 1981, Assistant Commissioner Michael Charles, Assistant Superintendent Elton Jackson, and Inspectors Glenford Gregg, Sydney James and Anthony Humphrey were among 20 persons who went to Barbados for training.

In an interview with SEARCHLIGHT, an elated Inspector Gregg, prosecutor at the Kingstown Magistrate’s Court, said he is happy to still be doing what he loves.

“You have to love what you do, and if you don’t love what you do, you can’t enjoy it…,” Gregg said.

Throughout his years, Gregg has worked on all of the Grenadine islands, beat patrol, special branch, Calliaqua police stations, all of the stations on the Leeward coast and at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), where he is currently assigned for duty.

Gregg also worked at the Family Court as prosecutor from 2004 to 2007, before his prosecution duties at the Kingstown Magistrate’s Court.

The prosecutor has also received training overseas in several areas such as management, prosecution and security.

Gregg, who admitted that he has no plans of calling it a day anytime soon, offered advice to young police officers in the constabulary. “You have to remain focused and be honest…,” he said.

Gregg said almost everyday, police officers are being brought before the courts, charged with different offences.

“Many officers are coming into the force nowadays, and I don’t know what’s wrong with them. If you can’t stay focused, then you are going to find yourself in trouble,” Gregg added.

PC 235 John, who was also present, congratulated Gregg on his milestone achievement and told him that he would make for a fine Commissioner one day.

Senior Magistrate Donald Browne also shared congratulatory remarks.

In ASP Jackson’s case, he says he has no regrets in making the decision to become a law enforcement officer.

“I have gathered a lot in terms of self-development, and also a lot of what I own materially is because of the police force…,” Jackson said.

The CID head revealed that if he had the opportunity to live his life over again, he would be a police officer.

Jackson said the highlight of his career was back in 1983 when he voluntarily went to Grenada at the time of the turmoil surrounding the late Morris Bishop.

“That will be forever stamped in my mind indelibly…,” he said.

Most of Jackson’s years as a police officer were spent at the Old Montrose Police Training School as an instructor.

A man of very few words, Inspector Sydney James, known as one the best criminal investigators here, summed up his achievement in few sentences.

“….It’s a milestone. Thirty one years of hard work; always toiling,” he said.

The soft-spoken officer, who is also head of the Major Crimes Unit, has spent 26 of his 31 years at the Criminal Investigations Department.

James is a member of the International Homicide Investigators Association (IHIA) and has successfully completed a number of training courses regionally and internationally.

He recently returned to the state after attending an anti-kidnapping and extortion course in Barbados.

SEARCHLIGHT congratulates the police officers on their milestone achievement.