Acting Deputy Commissioner of Police celebrates 36 years

Acting Deputy Commissioner of Police Brensley Ballantyne on Friday marked his 36th anniversary as a member of the Royal St Vincent and Grenadines Police Force (RSVGPF).{{more}}

This comes on the heels of the December 27, 2012 announcement that Ballantyne was appointed to act as deputy commissioner of police.

On January 4, 1977, Ballantyne journeyed into Kingstown from Sandy Bay on a wooden bus named “Santa” and took the oath to become a member of the Police Force. Four days later, he was among 20 men and six women from different parts of St Vincent and the Grenadines travelling to the Regional Police Training Centre in Barbados to undergo six months of training.

“From the group of 26 men and women who went to Barbados, I am the last man standing. My single most outstanding achievement in the Royal St Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force is being afforded the opportunity to have attained a wide array of knowledge in prosecution,” said Ballantyne, as he credited former superintendent of police Aldrick Wright for mentoring him.

In the twilight of his career, Ballantyne has been appointed to hold the reins of the second most important position in the Police Force, that of Deputy Commissioner of Police. He expressed thanks for the support that his wife, Winifred Ballantyne, as well as his children, Giselle Ballantyne, Keisha Ballantyne, Kelique Williams, Tango Samuel, Shaquille Jones, and Ruthlyn Hoyte have given him over the years.

“I never dreamt of being appointed to act in the post of Deputy Commissioner. I feel that my perseverance has paid off. I am the most senior by age in the Police Force as well as service,” said Ballantyne.

Ballantyne said throughout his career he has received more than 50 transfers, but he never allowed such situations to daunt him.

“The question of resignation never crossed my mind. I just thought of going on and on,” he said.

From September 1977 to March 12, 2012 he was transferred 55 times and worked in almost every police station in St Vincent — except Vermont Police Station.

In 1984, while he was stationed at Georgetown Police Station, he was promoted to the rank of corporal, and by 1990, while stationed at Stubbs Police Station, he was promoted to the rank of sergeant. By 1999, while at the Colonarie Police Station, Ballantyne was promoted to the rank of station sergeant and became an inspector in 2001. He joined the Officer Corps in 2004, when he was promoted to the rank of assistant superintendent of police, whilst at the Georgetown Police Station. His promotion to the rank of superintendent came in 2008, while at the Criminal Investigation Department, which he later headed.

Ballantyne said if he has to live his life over again, he is confident that he’ll be a policeman. He said everything that he owns is as a result of him pursuing a career in policing.

He said the secret behind his longevity in the Police Force is a combination of application, commitment and devotion to community.

During his 36 years of service, Ballantyne attended many training courses both overseas and locally, including junior and senior detective courses in Barbados in 1988 and 1990, and local prosecution court in 1995. Later that year, when the Family Court was established in St Vincent and the Grenadines, he was the first prosecutor for that court, which was presided over by Debra Felix-Thomas of Trinidad.

In 2001 and 2006, Ballantyne participated in the Junior and Senior Command Courses in Jamaica. His training also includes a peacekeeping negotiation courses in Nova Scotia/Canada, as well as a pirating and counterfeiting course in Belize in 2009.

Ballantyne said when he retires from the Police Force, his desire is to be self-employed and as a result, he will be embarking on a business venture.

He said that in an age of technology, he would like to see the modernization of the Police Force and see it head on a trajectory of utilizing forensic science to fight crime.

“We have to get more into the technical side,” said Ballantyne.

(Police Public Relations)