Jamaican Police.Com

Senior Superintendent (SSP) Calvin Benjamin, a noted no-nonsense, hard-working member of the Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB) for over four decades, has retired. Over the years, SSP Benjamin has demonstrated that he was one of the country’s leading, fearless crime fighters, and he said said goodbye to the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) approximately a week ago during a pre-retirement party that was held in his honour at the Police Officers’ Club, on Hope Road in Kingston.

At the function, SSP Benjamin told the story of how he was influenced to joined the police force. He said that it was the immaculate attire of two policemen in his hometown (Chapleton, Clarendon) which prompted him to enrol in the police force.

“I used to admire the uniforms of these policemen, plus, I was so touched by the many good deeds done by the police. When I decided to join the police force, not even my grandmother knew,” he said. He recalled also that it was about 20 individuals who sat the police entry test at the Frankfield Police Station, Clarendon with him, but only two were successful. In March 1970, he was recruited, and began training at Port Royal. Twenty-one of them were in the batch, but over the months, 10 dropped out, and, on September 24, 1970, the remaining 11 graduated. “This was one of the smallest batches to have graduated in the JCF,” said SSP Benjamin.

Notably, of the 11 who graduated in his batch, he was the only one who rose above the rank of sergeant. All his other batch-mates either resigned or retired eventually.

At his pre-retirement function, Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) – Paula Llewellyn, Acting Police Commissioner Owen Ellington, attorneys-at-law Churchill Neita and Wentworth Charles, the Reverened Garnett Roper and journalist Desmond Richards, all spoke about the high-quality work Benjamin has done over the 40 years. “He is a genuine and fearless investigator. If he has no evidence, then he is not coming to arrest you,” declared retired SSP Dudley Bryan about SSP Benjamin.

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