Acting Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Dwayne Bailey’s stint as the acting Prisons chief will end soon and he will return to the constabulary to head police operations.
Minister of National Security St. Clair Leacock made the announcement on radio on Monday as he spoke about the government’s response to violent crime in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Bailey, who has 28 years of police experience, was a leading figure on the front lines in the fight against crime in SVG until he was transferred to head the Prisons service in 2022.
He made history in May when he and his older brother, Trevor “Buju” Bailey, were both appointed to act as deputy commissioners of police.
The older Bailey has been appointed to act as leader of the police force while the officer-in-charge, Enville Williams, is on several months’ leave.
Leacock, who is also deputy prime minister, said Bailey is to return from the Prisons service to take up a deputy commissioner role overseeing operations in the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force.
“We’re going to bring back Dwayne from the Prisons in a deputy commissionership to head the operations aspect of the police force,” Leacock said on the New Times programme.
He said the move was intended to strengthen the force’s ability to respond to crime and violence.
Leacock said Bailey would be expected to lead police operations “to go wherever they are and to do what they have to do”, describing the role as part of a broader effort to improve the force’s operational capacity amid recent violence.
The minister said the operations team would have support from officers with specialised skills, including personnel from the Major Crime, Rapid Response and Special Services units.
He also referred to traffic specialists being brought together in an integrated unit to respond quickly to trouble spots.
Leacock said the police were developing stronger capabilities for pursuing suspects and operating in difficult terrain.
He described some officers as better skilled in “infantry work”, adding that the Special Services Unit had a more military than police character — a capability he said was needed at the time.
Bailey’s return to the police force comes as Leacock outlined other changes to policing, including more than 120 recruits, specialised training and further promotions.
He said the government was seeking a more professional force with stronger leadership and a greater ability to respond rapidly.
Before being transferred to the Prisons service, DCP Bailey led one of the squads within the Rapid Response Unit.
Leacock’s comments came two days after four people were killed and another four injured in a shooting incident in Green Hill, one of the villages in Central Kingstown, which he represents in Parliament.