KEITH Gardener, better known to many Jamaicans as “Trinity”, has been elevated to the rank of assistant commissioner of police, police chief Francis Forbes announced yesterday.

The appointment took effect on November 1.

Gardener, who was known as a tough cop in the 1970s and early 1980s, served as Edward Seaga’s chief bodyguard in the 1970s and also while he was prime minister in the 1980s — periods in which Jamaica was torn apart by violence because of the deep ideological divide between Seaga’s Jamaica Labour Party and the People’s National Party, then led by Michael Manley.

Gardener, who has been a member of the Jamaica Constabulary Force for 31 years, is presently in charge of Area 4. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Management, LLB (with honours), and is a final year student at the Norman Manley Law School. He is a graduate of the West Yorkshire Detective Training School at Bishop Garth and the Central Planning Unit at Harrogate, both in the United Kingdom.

He has received a number of awards to including the UN Peace Keeping Award for service with the United Nations in Namibia for one year. He is also a recipient of the Medal of Honour for Gallantry and the Medal of Honour for Meritorious Service.