With the escalation in criminal activity over the past decade and more and with the recent spike in homicides, with 20 so far this year, members of society and civic organizations have been pressuring the government to take action, including the replacement of the leadership of the police force.
A few months ago it was announced by the Ministry of National Security that interviews had been completed with candidates who submitted applications for the position, earlier this year, and that a decision would be made in the coming weeks. That announcement came Thursday, 14th July, 2011.
In a release from the Prime Minister’s Office, it was stated that as part of its heightened and multi-pronged approach to crime fighting, the Government of the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis today identified Mr. Celvin Geron “C.G.” Walwyn, as the candidate who will succeed Mr. Austin Williams as Commissioner of Police in the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force.
Mr. Walwyn, said the release, is a twenty-five year veteran of U.S. law enforcement, has held the positions of Deputy First Class in the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Orlando, Florida; Deputy Sheriff, Harris County Sheriff’s Department, Houston, Texas; Interim Chief of Police, Kendleton Police Department, Kendleton, Texas and Surveillance Director at Equifax Services, Houston Texas.
C.G. Walwyn, will come to the post of Chief of Police with a wide range of skills and expertise in critical areas of law enforcement such as intelligence gathering to drive the crime fighting strategies of the Force; the identification and apprehension of white-collar criminals; sexual offender surveillance; and the identification and apprehension of criminal gangs members all of which he has mastered during his career over the past two decades and which will be critical to addressing our current realities here in the Federation.
In addition, as Deputy Sheriff of Orange County’s Walt Disney World Uniform Patrol Division, his ability to deal effectively with culturally and socially diverse populations (both the visitors to Disney World as well as those working at Disney World) all while maintaining public order was frequently called upon. A licensed Police-in-Service Instructor in Houston, Texas, C. G. Walwyn also served as a member of a Training Division responsible for training over 3,000 deputies and civilians in Houston, Texas.
He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice and a Master of Science in Security Management. He has completed his formal studies for the Ph.D in Public Safety-Leadership.
C.G. Walwyn, the son of Ms. Audrey Walwyn of Buckley’s Site and former Inspector of Police, Mr. Zephaniah Joseph who served in the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force, is himself a national of St. Kitts and Nevis.
Mr. Walwyn moved to the United States Virgin Islands at the age of 13 and later to the US Mainland where he has spent his professional life in the field of U.S. law enforcement.
In naming C.G. Walwyn to this post, the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis wisely injects into the law enforcement challenge in St. Kitts and Nevis someone who possesses critical networking capabilities and the breadth of law enforcement experiences that are key to effective crime fighting in the 21st Century. He is also someone who will have a natural identification with, and respect for, the men and women whom he has been named to lead as the next ‘top cop’.