Customs Guard’s son wants more safety measures put in place

The eldest son of Customs Guard Othneil Whyte does not want his father’s death to be in vain.{{more}}

Abdon Whyte, speaking to SEARCHLIGHT in the new and unexpected capacity of man of the house, is calling for better security measures for customs officers and guards, who put their lives on the line daily in service to their country.

The life of the patriarch of the family came to a tragic end last Sunday June 3, when the Union Island resident and a police officer attached to the Rapid Response Unit, were allegedly attacked by men believed to Venezuelans.

According to reports, Whyte and the officer, identified as Corporal Deshong, boarded the vessel which was docked out at sea, after becoming suspicious of the fishing trawler.

It was reported that as soon as Whyte identified a substance believed to be cocaine, and alerted Corporal Deshong, the two Vincentians came under gun fire from one of the foreigners, to which the corporal returned fire, striking four of the nine men on board.

Three of the foreigners died in the shootout, while one was injured and is hospitalized. The remaining five were arrested and are presently in police custody.

It was not until the trawler returned to the dock, that it was realized that Whyte, a 20-year veteran in the public service, was not on board.

Following a search, Whyte was discovered floating in water; barely alive.

Attempts to fully revive the 55-year-old were unsuccessful, and he was declared dead some time later at the Union Island Health Centre.

Because of the tragedy, Abdon, who is a graduate teacher at the Union Island Secondary School, has called for measures to be put in place for the safety of the men and women, and suggested ways in which this could be done.

“It would be nice if we could have a customs boat down here… and have customs officers trained; maybe given weapons or put stricter measures in place.

“Union Island is a small place, but it is also a very dangerous place, because it’s like an entry point for drugs coming from south and it is also a very dangerous job, and my father would talk about how dangerous it is, but he would go out still because that was the way he provided for his family.

“Police have their way to defend themselves but the customs guards who have to work on boats the entire night guarding to make sure that these people don’t go anywhere, don’t have anything.”

The first of four boys born to Othneil and Marylin Whyte, Abdon believes that his father may have taken evasive action by jumping into the water, since he had no way of protecting himself during the exchange of gunfire.

He reasoned that as seasoned a swimmer that his father was, he may have tried to make it to shore, but because of strong ocean currents or other causes, was not able to do so.

According to Abdon, his father, also known as ‘Money Man’, was a well known and well loved individual in the community, who went out of his way to help others.

He was also friendly with a number of the foreign seamen, and even advocated for the ‘oil boats’ from Venezuela to bring fuel to the island.

“Because at one point they had stopped the boats from coming here and he was one of the guys who pushed for them to come, because he knew how important these boats coming here was…otherwise we would have to buy diesel from St. Vincent and it would be much more expensive for us… and life on Union Island would become even more difficult than it is.”

Closer to home, Abdon said that family members are slowly coming to terms with the passing of his father, and that he and his brothers, along with other family members are trying their best to stay strong and be of support to their mother.

The day after the tragedy, Prime Minister and Minister of National Security Dr. Ralph Gonsalves paid a visit to the family at their Southern Grenadine home. While there, he offered his condolences, and prayed with the family.

Gonsalves indicated that the state would cover the cost of Whyte’s funeral, since the guard died in the line of duty.

Originally from Rose Bank, on the leeward side of mainland St. Vincent, Whyte moved to Union Island while still a teenager. It was there he met his wife.

Abdon pointed out that his father, who would have celebrated his 56th birthday next month, was looking forward to his retirement in a few years time.

“When somebody goes to work, they are supposed to go to work and come back home; they not supposed to go to work and not come back.

“We are sad that that’s the way he had to go but that’s the way, and we have to accept it.”