Best Police Constable of the Year 2004 named in Nevis

Deputy Governor General, Mr Eustace John, presents
a plaque to Nevis’ Constable of the Year 2004,
Constable James Stephens

Saturday, February 12, 2005

CHARLESTOWN, Nevis: Constable James Stephens was Friday evening named Best Police Constable of the Year 2004 in the Nevis Division of the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force. As the finalist from the Traffic Department, he beat another ten departmental finalists to capture the coveted award.

The second annual Best Constable of the Year Award Ceremony, held at the Old Manor Hotel in Gingerland, was a high profile event that was attended by the Federation’s Governor General, Dr Cuthbert Sebastian, and the Deputy Governor General for Nevis, Mr Eustace John.

The other finalists were Constable Glenroy Hanley (the only one who did not attend the function due to illness), Constable Usborne Hewitt, W/Constable Shelisa Vaughan, W/Constable Nevilla Daniel, Constable Justin Griffin, W/Constable Shauna Pemberton, Constable Alonzo Carty, Constable Valentine Hodge, Constable Irvin Bradshaw and Constable Cleon Michael.

W/Sgt Ilena Phillip and Mr Charles Bussue, Director of the Government Press and Public Relations Department, read profiles of the finalists, while Deputy Governor General, Mr Eustace John presented the awards.

“As I bask in the glory of tonight’s award I vow that I will not wander in the valley of ill discipline or seek to drink from the bitter cup of complacency, because for me the hard work has just begun,” said Constable Stephens in his acceptance speech. “I will continue to do what is right to all sectors of society and will strive to uphold the principles and integrity of the organisation and most importantly to achieve the goals and objectives of the Nevis Division.”

The ceremony, which was chaired by Rev Amos Browne, had addresses by Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mr Meredith Charles, Minister of State in Prime Minister Ministry, Mr Nigel Carty, Premier of Nevis, Mr Vance Amory, and Permanent Secretary in Federal Ministry of National Security Mrs Astona Browne, who delivered the feature address.

Superintendent Cecil Morgan, Commander of the Nevis Division, told the gathering that the awards ceremony was initiated by the Nevis Strategic Planning Group, which was formed in December 2002. He observed that motivating the ranks by recommendation and awards stood high among the Group’s many objectives.

He said that the primary purpose of Friday evening’s function was to acknowledge the constables of the Nevis Division for the sterling contribution they had made and the role they played in making the island a safer place to live, by contributing to the growth of tourism, curbing the drug menace and making the roads safe.

In congratulating the awardees, the Commanding Officer challenged them to continue to set high goals, surpassing them with each level of success. He said: “You are in the limelight tonight because of your good discipline, knowledge of the job, verbal and written communications skills, confidence, effectiveness and efficiency. You are the cream of the crop for 2004 and the responsibility is yours to stay on top for 2005.”

In his brief overview, Superintendent Morgan said that in 2003 there were 252 crimes committed and that in 2004 there were 241 crimes committed, which reflected a reduction of 11 crimes or a 4.3% decrease.

He however noted that their detection rate, which was 55% in 2003, dropped to 46% in 2004 “making our success not as impressive as that of 2003. However, it was an effort good enough to keep our hope and confidence alive.”

He said that year 2004 was a challenging one for the Division with two murders and a mysterious death that still stands unsolved, but also added that the science of DNA testing had brought them success in three of their cases for the upcoming April Assizes, and this he attributed to the diligence of the detectives of the Criminal Investigation Department.

“The staff of this Division, though small in number, is comprised of dedicated men and women who work very hard, despite the penetrative attacks of the famous ‘Creep-Up’ and now “Get U Money Wutt’ flu, which robbed us of over 150 days of productive work,” decried the Commanding Officer.

He said that for 2005 his Division aims at reducing crime by 5 to 10 percent, which would be achieved through the continuation of targeting known offenders and the gathering intelligence that would lead them to new offenders.

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