Governor Sarah Tucker and Chief Magistrate Vashti Chatoor have sworn in Mark Keith Payne as the next new acting police commissioner.
He will take office on 18 May and will remain in the role for “the next few months”, a Facebook statement from the Governor’s Office said.
Payne is a former UK commander of the West Midlands Police counter terrorism unit and a trained strategic firearms commander.
In the statement, the governor said she was delighted to welcome Payne to Montserrat and to have “such an experienced and accomplished former senior police officer” on island.
“I wish to thank outgoing acting commissioner Enriles for the dedication he has shown to Montserrat during his short time in territory,” she added.
“He made a positive impact on which the incoming commissioner will continue to build.”
Next week, Chief Inspector Wade Chase from the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service will join Payne as acting deputy police commissioner.
His role will begin on 21 May and he will stay for the next month to support the Royal Montserrat Police Service (RMPS) through a very busy period, the statement said.
“We are building stronger relationships that will enable continued development and growth for all of our police services.
“We are proactively seeking opportunities to send our officers to other overseas territories too, for them to experience new cultures but also to broaden their world perspective and develop their skill sets.”
Police chief vacancy
Robin Hall was sworn in as Commissioner of the Royal Montserrat Police Service on 7 December, 2023, and left the island in early March to complete a training course, according to the Governor’s Office.
In Hall’s absence, Roje Williams from the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service served as acting commissioner for three weeks, and Sean Troy Perera for one week.
Governor Sarah Tucker revoked Hall’s appointment in a notice in the Gazette published on 27 March, saying it would become effective on 31 March.
Over two weeks later, on 19 April, a statement from the Governor’s Office finally said Hall would not be continuing as police chief “due to circumstances beyond our control”.
Alexander Enriles from the Royal Gibraltar Police, who was due to cover for Hall for a few months, was sworn in as acting commissioner, effective on 20 April.
In a later press release, the Governor’s Office revealed that Hall was “unable to return” to Montserrat to serve as police commissioner because he had no professional indemnity insurance.
