Kurt Walton appointed Commissioner Designate

(CMR) The Police Service Commission (PSC) has appointed Deputy Commissioner of Police Kurt Walton as Commissioner of Police-Designate for the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS).

As Commissioner of Police, Mr. Walton, who has been a member of the RCIPS since 1986, will also be the Chief Officer of the Office of the Commissioner of Police, which comprises the Cayman Islands Coast Guard (CICG) in addition to RCIPS.

Mr. Walton is expected to take up his substantive appointment as Commissioner later this year. In the interim, the Commissioner-Designate will participate in professional meetings with various policing bodies within the UK and also represent the Cayman Islands at the British Overseas Territories Commissioners of Police (BOTCOP) Meeting. This period concludes with a comprehensive handover with the current Commissioner of Police,  Derek Byrne.

Her Excellency the Governor, Jane Owen, Chair of the PSC, said: “I am delighted to announce the appointment of Kurt Walton as Commissioner-Designate of RCIPS.  He brings a wealth of experience to this important role, and I very much look forward to working with him at this crucial time as we drive to keep Cayman safe and secure.”

“I am also immensely grateful to Commissioner Byrne for his leadership of RCIPS since 2016.  His commitment to both operational response and strategic planning has built a Police Service ready to meet the challenges of the coming years. Mr. Byrne’s dedication to the people of Cayman, his tenacity in fighting crime and his guidance of all the men and women in RCIPS is a strong legacy from which we will all benefit,” she added.

Commissioner of Police Derek Byrne said: “I warmly welcome the news of the appointment of Kurt Walton as the next Commissioner of Police for the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service. I have worked with Kurt for the past seven years, where he has been an outstanding, experienced, and committed colleague. “

“As a local officer and having served the Cayman Islands all of his policing career, rising through the ranks, he has a unique understanding of the policing requirements of the Cayman Islands.  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,” he added.

Commissioner of Police Designate Kurt Walton said he is immensely grateful for the trust and confidence in him to lead an organization with so many hard-working and inspiring people.

“I am under no illusion what is required of Commissioner of Police and understand the tremendous responsibility and accountability that comes with the role. 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,” he stated.

“I have a very clear vision and that is to Keep Cayman Safe and to do so, I must understand the threats. I recognize 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 modernized police service and coast guard, which delivers quality services to the people we serve, he stated.

Commissioner Byrne has been pivotal in the succession planning of Commissioner-Designate Walton over the past few years, including sending him to the most recent training at the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) Law Enforcement Executive Development in Virginia, USA.

Mr. Walton is married to Meredith, and they have two children, Liam and Adelaide.

The Cayman Brac-born has served as Deputy Commissioner of Police since 2016. He has strategic responsibility for all policing and security and overseeing operational policing, inclusive of all units within the detective and uniform branches of the Service. Prior to that, Mr. Walton served as Chief Superintendent from 2013 to 2016, and Superintendent in charge of Specialist Proactive Operations from 2007 to 2013.

Mr. Walton completed his Senior Investigators training in Barbados in 1997. From 2002 to 2008, Mr. Walton attended the Cayman Islands Law School (University of Liverpool) while working full-time and earned 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, Mr. Walton became certified as a Strategic Gold Firearms Commander in 2011. In 2014 he returned to the UK and completed a Strategic Command Course, which focuses on executive leadership training for Assistant and Chief Constable positions.

Additionally, Mr. Walton has completed his Multi-Agency Gold Incident Command Training (MAGIC / UK) and a National Security course delivered by Sandhurst academics of the Dept. of Defense & International Affairs, Faculty of Leadership, Security & Warfare.