Caymanian finally set to take over as CoP

(CNS): Deputy Police Commissioner Kurt Walton has said he is under “no illusions” about what he faces when he is promoted to the post of police commissioner before the end of the year. Almost two decades since a Caymanian last held the top job in the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service, Walton secured the appointment after an open recruitment process. He will also be the chief officer in the commissioner’s office and oversee the Cayman Islands Coast Guard.

The recruitment for the post was conducted by the Police Service Commission, which announced the appointment on Wednesday. The PSC said that as the commissioner-designate, Walton will participate in professional meetings with various policing bodies within the UK.

He will also represent the Cayman Islands at the British Overseas Territories Commissioners of Police (BOTCOP) meeting, as retiring CoP Derek Byrne hands over the reins and Walton transitions into the post. Officials have not said exactly when that will be but have indicated it will be later this year.

But as he takes on the job, the battle against crime is as challenging as ever, with another spike in armed robberies, gang violence and a surge in acquisitive opportunistic crime. The police are also dealing with traffic offences, as poor driving standards across the islands are leading to high numbers of serious crashes and fatalities.

Despite the daunting task ahead, Walton said he was grateful for the trust and confidence shown in him to lead an organisation with so many hard-working and inspiring people. 

“I am under no illusion what is required of the commissioner of police and understand the tremendous responsibility and accountability that comes with the role,” he said in a release announcing his appointment. “I have always given my utmost best in serving my country and the people of the Cayman Islands. I am passionate about policing, and it’s been that way over the past 36½ years.”

Walton added, “I have a very clear vision, and that is to keep Cayman safe, and to do so, I must understand the threats. I recognise the importance of partnerships in this vision and will continue fostering existing and new relationships locally, regionally and internationally. Along with my senior leadership team and our staff, we will continue with our ongoing efforts towards a modernised police service and coast guard which delivers quality services to the people we serve.”

Walton, who was born in Cayman Brac, has served with the RCIPS for more than three and a half decades, having joined in 1986. He has been deputy commissioner for more than seven years and has strategic responsibility for all policing and security, as well as oversight of operational policing, including all units within the detective and uniform branches of the RCIPS.

Before that, from 2013 to 2016 he served as chief superintendent and from 2007 to 2013 he was superintendent in charge of Specialist Proactive Operations.

Walton completed his Senior Investigators training in Barbados in 1997. From 2002 to 2008, he attended the Cayman Islands Law School (University of Liverpool) while working full-time, earning his Bachelor of Law degree (LLB Hons). He also has a Post-Graduate Certificate in Criminal Justice and Police Management from the University of Leicester, UK.

After training in the International Command Programme in the UK in 2007, Walton became certified as a Strategic Gold Firearms Commander in 2011. In 2014 he returned to the UK and completed a Strategic Command Course that focuses on executive leadership training for assistant and chief constable positions.

Since then, he has completed his Multi-Agency Gold Incident Command Training (MAGIC/UK) and a National Security course delivered by RMA Sandhurst‘s Faculty of Leadership, Security and Warfare and the Department of Defense and International Affairs. He has also undertaken professional courses at the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) Law Enforcement Executive Development in Virginia, USA.

Jane Owen, who as governor chairs the commission that oversaw the recruitment process, said she looked forward to working with him at “this crucial time” and offered her gratitude to Byrne, who has been in the job for seven years.

Despite the criticisms of Byrne over the years, Owen, who has been here less than two months, said he had “built a police service ready to meet the challenges of the coming years” and described him as dedicated to the people of Cayman and a tenacious crime fighter who had left a strong legacy “from which we will all benefit”.

Byrne, who has been part of the succession planning that led to the first Caymanian in more than 18 years to take charge of the RCIPS, said that Walton was an “outstanding, experienced and committed colleague”.

The outgoing CoP said that his replacement had a unique understanding of the policing requirements in the Cayman Islands, having risen through the local ranks.

“I wish Kurt well as he moves to take on this new demanding and challenging role. He will succeed with the support of the government and the support of the community. I wish Kurt great success in the years ahead as he takes the RCIPS from good to great,” Byrne added.