Another former member of the UK Metropolitan Police service’s top brass will become the Cayman Islands’ Acting Police Commissioner next week, according to a Monday announcement from Governor Stuart Jack’s office.
The appointment of James Smith comes just four days after the Governor’s announcement that his first choice for the job, ex-Sussex Police Superintendent Royce Hipgrave, had withdrawn from the position. Mr. Hipgrave left Cayman last week after a 48 hour visit.
The current Acting Police Commissioner, David George, is scheduled to leave Cayman today. Deputy Police Commissioner Anthony Ennis will head the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service until Monday, 1 December when Mr. Smith will take over the post.
Mr. Smith’s appointment to that position is expected to last six months.
The former UK Met commander has a 35 year career in law enforcement, most of which was spent in Scotland before he joined the UK Met. Mr. Smith’s experience includes serving on the police command team which oversaw response to the 2005 London subway bombings.
For the last two years, Mr. Smith has served as Deputy Chief Constable of the UK’s Civil Nuclear Constabulary, the law enforcement group responsible for securing nuclear storage sites.
‘I am honoured that HE the Governor has invited me to lead the RCIPS at such a critical point and am hopeful that in the coming months I will provide stability, clear direction and strong leadership to the police service,’ Mr. Smith said in a prepared statement.
Governor Jack has not commented on the reasons for Mr. Hipgrave’s departure last week other than stating there was ‘an aspect’ of the police commissioner’s job which was unacceptable to him.
One concern was believed to be the liability Cayman’s top cop may be exposed to in the on-going investigation being conducted here by police officers from the UK Met.
Acting Commissioner George was recently named in a judicial review action filed by one of the individuals arrested in the UK Met probe. Grand Court Justice Alexander Henderson has said he intends to seek damages for unlawful arrest and defamation against the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service and the government.
Mr. Henderson’s initial request for a judicial review of the circumstances regarding his 24 September arrest has been granted by the court, according to his attorneys. It’s not known at this point whether there will need to be a full, open court hearing on the challenge to his arrest.
Precisely what the RCIPS commissioner’s role in overseeing the UK Met officers’ investigation isn’t known, but Mr. George did admit in court last month that he was in a command position in certain respects over the investigating team.
The Cayman Islands Police Law (2006 Revision) states that members of the special constabulary in Cayman are under the control of the police commissioner. The UK Met investigators are legally considered special constables of the RCIPS, which allows them to perform their work here.
Mr. Smith’s appointment is expected to be temporary until a permanent, full-time RCIPS commissioner can be appointed. The previous commissioner, Stuart Kernohan, was removed from the job in March as part of the UK Met investigation and was fired last week by Governor Jack after refusing to return to the Cayman Islands.
Deputy Commissioner Ennis has said he has no intention of applying for the police commissioner’s job. There are no other officers apart from Mr. Ennis currently working in the Cayman Islands police service who are above a superintendent’s rank.
Among local names most often mentioned for the permanent commissioner’s job are former Drugs Task Force supervisor Derek Haines and ex-RCIPS commissioner Buell Braggs. Neither man has publicly stated whether he would be interested in the job.
Mr. Jack
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