Pompey is Assistant Commissioner of Police

A senior officer of the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force has created history.
Officer Bertie Pompey became the first police officer to be promoted from Inspector to Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), skipping Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) and Superintendent of Police (SOP).
Pompey’s appointment was effective July 1, this year.{{more}}
Officer Pompey, presently the sole qualified lawyer in the Force, also created history as the first Assistant Commissioner of Police with a law degree.
In an interview with Searchlight on Monday, ACP Pompey, maintaining his humility, indicated that he was not about to go thumping his chest on his achievements. He said that he was looking forward to continue serving the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines to the best of his ability.
Asked how he intended to use his legal training to effect changes in the Force, ACP Pompey said he would be looking at the Police Act, which governs the Force, with a view to having it revised. He said some Provisions in the Act, which was introduced in the 1960s, have become out of date and he would like to recommend to his superiors to have them repealed.
ACP Pompey, who was prosecutor at the Magistrates court from 1999 to 2002, also said that he is better equipped to advise colleagues on evidence gathering.
Asked whether he intended to go into private legal practice when he retired, ACP Pompey said he had not decided, but if he chose to, he would specialise in criminal law.
ACP Pompey advised that his junior colleagues “attend evening classes and keep reading to stay in tune with changing times.” He said that when he joined the Force November 25, 1974, he did not have any academic subject. But, he read a lot and studied to gain passes in Biology (A), History (A), Economics (A) and Accounting (C).
“It is not difficult. Once they are disciplined and determined, they can achieve just like me”, ACP Pompey said.
ACP Pompey, who recently completed his legal studies at Eugene Du Puch Law School in the Bahamas, is expected to graduate in September. He will be called to the local Bar in October.