It was in the aftermath of Hurricane Ivan that Craig Coe first signed up to be a volunteer police officer.
Now, 16 years later, he has found himself at the centre of another national emergency as one of the most experienced officers in the Special Constabulary.
Coe, who works for government in computer services, was given time away from his day job to dedicate himself fully to policing during the height of the COVID-19 crisis.
He has been putting in 60-hour weeks helping patrol beaches, check supermarkets and enforce the curfews and regulations to keep the virus from spreading.
He will return to the office next week, continuing with a lighter schedule of policing on weekends and evenings.
Coe said it had been an unusual and physically tiring period, but something he was proud to be a part of.
“I felt it was something I needed to do, for my family and everyone else in the community,” he said.
“We have had to fight this invisible enemy. It is not an enemy we can handcuff and put in jail… It is something no one has ever experienced before. It was a learning experience and we had to take it step-by-step.”
Coe has risen to the rank of inspector in the volunteer police service and puts in around 30 hours a month in more normal times.
He said it was Hurricane Ivan that first inspired him to volunteer.
“That was another major emergency where the island needed help,” he said. “I enjoyed helping out the community in a time of need. This was a different experience and a different situation. It is all a learning experience.”
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