Law enforcement officials awarded

Three arms of law enforcement in St Vincent and the Grenadines have been presented with awards for outstanding work.{{more}}

The Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) and the National Prosecution Service (NPS) together received the Indictment Award for prosecution team of the year, while head of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Sydney James received the award for investigator of the year.

The FIU, the NPS and James, who were announced as winners in October 2013, were presented with their plaques on Wednesday by Dan Suter, criminal justice advisor to the Eastern Caribbean at the British High Commission in Barbados.

Indictment is a quarterly newsletter of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court “for investigators and prosecutors serious about crimes”.

According to Indictment, the FIU and NPS won the award for their co-ordinated approach in successfully securing the conviction of Antonio Gellizeau.

The FIU, headed by Grenville Williams and the National Prosecution Service, headed by Director of Public Prosecutions Colin Williams, received the inaugural Prosecution Team of the Year award. According to Indictment, the Gellizeau investigation and prosecution has now become the benchmark for other agencies to follow and as such, is widely publicized as a model of joint working.

James and Dominican police officer ASP Cuffy won the award for Investigator of the Year for “their drive and determination in leading the way on video interviews of suspects…Video interviewing has encouraged more robust preparation of cases, whilst enshrining the human rights of suspects. Both officers co-ordinate the teams that conduct the investigations/interviews and this award is as much for those officers as the figureheads of ASP Cuffy and ASP James.”