New police commissioner named

A veteran UK lawman with prior experience working in other British Overseas Territories has been named as Cayman’s new acting police commissioner.

Royce Hipgrave

Royce Hipgrave, a former high-ranking member of the Sussex Police Service and Police Commissioner in St. Helena, is set to arrive here on 18 November to replace departing Acting Commissioner David George.

Mr. George leaves at a time of upheaval in the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service. Three of the service’s top commanders have been removed during an investigation of alleged misconduct in a public office. One of those commanders has been charged with misconduct and doing an act tending and intended to pervert the course of public justice.

‘I understand that officers and staff of the RCIPS, and the public at large, are concerned about uncertainty in these changing times,’ Cayman Islands Governor Stuart Jack said in a prepared statement. ‘I am confident that a professional handover from David George to Royce Hipgrave and the consistent implementation of the new strategic plan will provide the continuity that is needed.’

Mr. Hipgrave made international news reports in 2000 following the arrival of a Burundian boy who was a stowaway on a cargo ship, and was believed to be the first person to ever ask for political asylum in St. Helena. The 16-year-old later withdrew his request after finding out no other Burundians lived on the island.

The UK lawman also served as immigration chief for Saint Helena.

Saint Helena is a tiny UK territory located in the centre of the southern Atlantic Ocean, roughly halfway between Angola and Brazil. Only 5,000 people permanently reside there. The island is most famously known as the place where defeated French leader Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled.

Mr. Hipgrave also has something of a famous family. His son, Dan, is a professional musician who performed in the well-known English alternative rock band Toploader and was married to TV presenter Gail Porter. The couple split in 2004.

In an interview with a Sussex newspaper The Argus in 2002, Mr. Hipgrave said he recalled asking his son Dan to ‘get a proper job’ in his younger days.

‘He still reminds me of that moment,’ Mr. Hipgrave, the elder, said.

Mr. Hipgrave’s home is in Eastbourne, a district of Sussex, England although he has lived in St. Helena for a number of years.

Serious matters

It is not certain whether Mr. Hipgrave’s appointment is intended to be a temporary one. Currently, Stuart Kernohan, one of the RCIPS commanders placed in leave in March, still holds the office of Cayman Islands police commissioner.

Governor Jack has initiated disciplinary proceedings against Mr. Kernohan, who he said has refused three times to return to Cayman. The commissioner, who’s believed to be in his native Scotland, has never been arrested or charged with a crime in connection with the on-going investigation at RCIPS.

According to police, Mr. George’s appointment to the RCIPS was a secondment not meant to last more than six months. He actually will end up staying for eight months. They have announced no specific time period at this point for Mr. Hipgrave’s service.

Mr. George had begun a review of several procedures within the police service, including attempts to modernise police complaints and discipline procedures, as well as creating longer term plans for policing the islands.

‘These will shape policing over the coming years and will be given continuity by David’s successor, Mr. Royce Hipgrave,’ Governor Jack said.

None of the statements by Mr. Jack or Acting Commissioner George have alluded to Mr. George’s recent testimony in court in which he essentially admitted he was in a command position in some respects over the independent investigating team now looking into misconduct allegations at the RCIPS.

Both Mr. George and the man leading the investigation, Martin Bridger, worked for the UK Metropolitan Police Service although Mr. Bridger retired earlier this year and now works directly under Governor Jack.

‘My reasons (for leaving) are simple,’ Mr. George said. ‘When I agreed to take over the post, it was for a temporary period of up to six months. I therefore need to return to the United Kingdom to continue my life both professional and personal.’