The current Commissioner of Police, Atlee Rodney, and nine former
commissioners were among twenty-five police officials honoured on Thursday, as
part of the activities marking the 100 th anniversary of Interpol – the International
Criminal Police Organisation.
The event was a Recognition Ceremony held at the John E. St Luce Conference
Centre, attended by rank and file of the Royal Police Force of Antigua and
Barbuda and senior government officials, including National Security Minister,
Steadroy Benjamin and Foreign Affairs Minister, E.P. Chet Greene.
In remarks in his capacity as Foreign Minister, Greene noted that as an
international law enforcement agency, Interpol is operating in an interconnected
world, with an increasingly complex and digital environment, guided by a mission
to prevent and fight crime through enhanced cooperation and innovation on police
and security matters.
“Antigua and Barbuda as part of this global environment, is extremely grateful to
be a member of this prestigious institution ensuring the overall safety, not only of
our citizens but to also minimize the opportunity for Antigua and Barbuda to be
used by professional criminal elements to endanger the name and security of our
beloved country. Operating as a global police, Interpol is placed in a unique
position to facilitate and coordinate international policing efforts to prevent and
solve criminal activities,” he noted.
Special awards were presented to former commissioners, Sir Wright George, Edric
Potter, Alvin Goodwin, Truehart Smith (deceased), Elton Martin, Delano
Christopher, Vere Browne, Wendel Robinson Alexander, and just for mention,
Thomas Bennette and current Commissioner, Rodney.
Also sharing in the special awards were Deputy Commissioner Albert Wade,
and former Deputy Commissioners, Henry Christian and Joseph Hughes. Members
of the Police Service Commission, Cosmos Marcel, along with Inspector of Police
Francis Dinard, and former Inspectors of Police, Ewen Cameron, Lennie Quashie,
and Callward Nicholas.
Seven other officers from the ranks of corporal to senior sergeants, including a
retired senior sergeant, were also recognized.
Under the leadership of Father of the Nation, Sir Vere Cornwall Bird, Antigua and
Barbuda applied for membership in Interpol in 1986. It was then Commissioner,
Sir Wright George, who delivered the country’s acceptance speech and became the
first head of the National Central Bureau (NCB). The Interpol NCB in St. John’s
serves as the national cooperation platform for sharing and collecting intelligence
on the crime areas which most affect Antigua and Barbuda, particularly as it relates
to wanted people and emerging crime trends linked to Caribbean organized crime.
