BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – COMMISSIONER of the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force, Celvin ‘CG’ Walwyn has refuted an allegation made by a Sandy Point resident that someone in the Police High Command is covering up for a citizen of prominence, who is allegedly involved in a criminal matter.
“I will tolerate neither insubordination nor disrespect from any member of the community. I am a straight shooter, I speak from my heart! I do what is right and my record speaks for itself,” the Commissioner said to SKNVibes when asked for his comment on the allegation.
In a letter to the editor, Deslyn Richards of Sandy Point claimed that Commissioner Walwyn had chased her out of his office because of a suggestion she made concerning investigations into a hit and run accident that involved one of her relatives.
“On Friday 13th September 2013, I was grossly embarrassed by the Commissioner of Police, Mr. C.G. Walwyn, who in a very uncouth manner chased me out of his office because of a certain suggestion I made in order to get to the truth of a matter.
“In the company of a male companion and another individual, I visited the Commissioner on that morning with the view of getting an answer to the reason for the seemingly stagnated investigation into an accident that involved Seanel Herbert Riley who lives at the Alley in Sandy Point and who is a close and dear relative of mine.
Richards stated that it was a hit and run accident that occurred on the Island Main Road in Halfway Tree shortly after 2:00 a.m. on Sunday (Sept.8), which has left Riley hospitalised with a broken left leg and injuries to his left hip.
“I was told that Seanel was heading towards Basseterre at the time and he had stopped in Halfway Tree in the vicinity of the Water Damm. As he got out of his car, another vehicle that was travelling in the opposite direction struck him and drove away. There were four passengers in Seanel’s vehicle and they each gave statements to the police on what transpired that early morning.
“The statements they gave all corroborated with Seanel’s account of the accident and a certain prominent individual, who also lives in Sandy Point, was the suspected hit and run driver. He was apprehended by the police but was shortly after released after denying his involvement in that accident. There was compelling evidence that pointed to his vehicle being the one that struck Seanel,” Richards contended.
Richards said family members were dissatisfied when they learnt that the suspect was released without any charge laid against him, so she decided to visit the Sandy Point Police Station in search of answers.
“I then paid Assistant Commissioner Ian Queeley a visit at the Basseterre Police Station on Wednesday 11th September 2013. He said that he was unaware of the incident, and after I explained what transpired and stated that family members were not informed how the investigation was progressing, he promised to get back to me but for whatever reason, he did not.
“On hearing that Commissioner Walwyn listens to people’s complaints against and problems with members of the Royal St. Christopher Police Force, and that he is thorough in his investigations and believes in justice for all, an appointment was made and myself and two other persons visited him in his office at Police Headquarters in Basseterre.”
Richards stated that while in his office, the Commissioner listened attentively to what she had to say and he summoned his Deputy, Stafford Liburd, to his office.
“He spoke to Mr. Liburd about my complaint but the Deputy Commissioner seemed not to have firsthand knowledge on the progress of the investigation. He subsequently called the ‘B’ Division Commander, Superintendent Terrance James, but he, too, claimed to be unaware of the exact stage of the investigation.
“Judging from the two Senior Officers’ ignorance of the situation, I told the Commissioner no one was charged despite the fact that evidence points to the accused and that it appears as though justice would not being served.
“I also told him that family members were not kept abreast with the state’s developments of the matter and we would like to have his assurance that more effort would be placed to expeditiously bring the investigation to a close and ensure that justice be served. Additionally, I pointed out that in light of the fact that there were very clear and compelling pieces of evidence; (according to information received from the persons present when the incident happened) it is puzzling one’s comprehension as to the apparent delay in charging someone for the crime.”
Richards claimed to have further expressed the family’s impatience in getting justice and suggested to the Commissioner that “since neither of the two Senior Officers could have positively pronounced on the investigation, it is logical for him to call the Sandy Point-based police officer who is intimately involved in the investigation so that, not only he, but also the Senior Officers and Seanel’s family members could be updated on the situation”.
That suggestion, she emphasised, seemed to have offended Commissioner Walwyn “who blew his top and loudly told me that I had disrespected him and shouted…‘Get the hell out of my office’. Left his seat and followed me towards the doors exiting the adjacent room/the outer section of his office, his derogatory shouts echoing even louder”.
“As an intelligent, rational and law-abiding citizen of St. Kitts and Nevis, I humbly and/or humiliatingly complied but asked myself, ‘What wrong have I done for him to embarrass me in that manner?’ It begs the question that as the Top Cop of such Royal Institution one would expect a certain level of dignity, empathy and even diplomacy! He is the head of the Police Force, and if he cannot listen to or tolerate sensible suggestions and make intelligent decisions, then his mannerism may simply be a reflection of the men that he leads,” Richards concluded.
The Commissioner admitted to chasing Richards and her party out of his office but his version of the reason for doing so is vastly different to that of the dissatisfied family member.
Speaking with this publication, Commissioner Walwyn said that on the day in question he was at Port Zante monitoring the activity of a cruise ship’s passengers and welcoming them to the Federation when he got a phone call from a male he knew, stating that he wanted to speak to him personally on a matter of importance.
“I left the scene immediately and walked to my office to meet with him. I was however surprised to see him enter my office with two additional persons. I accommodated the persons as they were his guests, but I did not know the reason why they were there,” the Commissioner said.
Commissioner Walwyn noted that the male began speaking about a pending investigation and he informed him that he could not have gone into details because it was “actively being investigated”.
He further noted that Richards took over the conversation and began intimating that the police were covering up the investigation because of the prominence of the person suspected of committing the act.
“I asked them if they were claiming that my office was covering up the investigation. Both the male and the adult female [Richards] claimed that they believed it was being covered up by someone in the Police High Command. The male then told me that they came to me first but had no problem going to the media to voice their concern. I told him that I am not easily intimidated and his threats meant nothing to me.
“I then called the Deputy Commissioner to my office and asked him if his office was covering up the investigation. He replied that the investigation was still active and he was not covering up anything. I asked him to contact the Divisional Commander and ask him if his office was covering up the investigation. He said the Commander was outside my office. The Commander was invited to the conversation in the presence of the trio. He, too, when asked about covering up the investigation, stated that the investigation was active and the investigator, just that morning, had obtained some more statements.
“I then turned to the adult female [Richards] and explained to her that the investigation was still active, we cannot discuss it but we are making sure that all the evidence is proper and prepared before charges can be laid against the individual. The adult female blurted out that I must think I am dealing with stupid people and unless I bring the investigator to my office in front of her and let him tell her himself that he is still conducting the investigation, she will maintain her stance that my office is covering up the investigation.
“I let it go the first time because I recognised that she was very emotional. But she began pounding her fist and raising her voice as she spoke. At that point I felt it best to discontinue the conversation and asked her to stop. She refused and I got up from my seat and told her that she was very disrespectful and asked all three of them get out of my office.”
The Top Cop emphatically stated that as an individual he respects everyone and, as the Commissioner of Police, there is a certain decorum that goes with the office.
“The adult female [Richards] was way out of line, very disrespectful and, in the presence of my subordinates, felt that she could disrespect the office of the Commissioner of Police with innuendos and allegations. Even though we were telling her that the investigation was active and the investigator was up to that morning investigating, she was grounded in her rhetoric and disrespect.
“Additionally, some of the contents of the letter that she sent to your media house are incorrect, especially the allegations made against the Commander of B Division and Assistant Commissioner Queeley.
“While in my office, the Commander had told her that on the same day the investigator had obtained statements. I also spoke to Queeley on the same day of her visit to my office and he asked how she could say that I (the Commissioner) was covering up when I was the one who told him to make sure we conduct a thorough investigation?”
Commissioner Walwyn also stated that shortly after the incident in his office, he was contacted by WINN FM for a comment and he had no problem in speaking about what transpired.
“I therefore have no problem speaking about it now. Approach me in the right way and I will be courteous, but approach me in the wrong way and I will eat your lunch. I do not interfere with anyone outside of my official duties and I expect people to be respectful or, at least, respect my office.”
Walwyn, who succeeded Austin Williams as Commissioner of Police just over two years ago, is of the view that some people in the Federation “grossly exaggerate and misrepresent the truth when it is expedient”.
