TELFORD Stephens was in mourning yesterday for his only son, Constable Ramon Stephens, but spoke highly about him yesterday, a day after the policeman and an unidentified female companion died in a crash on the North-South link of Highway 2000 in St Catherine.

“Him never try to disrespect me no time at all. Mi never beat him yet, mi just talk to him. Anything mi tell him him just obey until know,” Stephens told the Jamaica Observer yesterday as he fought to hold back tears during an interview at the family home in Kingston.

Stephens, 33, who served the Jamaica Constabulary Force for more than three years, was assigned to the Motorised Patrol Divison.

According to the Spanish Town police, about 8:45 am Sunday, Stephens was driving in a northerly direction along the highway when he allegedly lost control of the vehicle and overturned. Both he and the woman were cut from the mangled vehicle by firemen and rushed to the hospital where they succumbed to their injuries.

Yesterday, when the Observer visited Stephens’ home members of the constabulary were there giving support to relatives of the deceased cop.

Stephens’ father continued: “I was the driver for his plan. Any business he would tell me.”

The distraught father said his son would call him just to find out if he was doing okay.

“’Daddy, you alright? Daddy you have money?’” Stephens said his son would call to find out. “If mi no have it [money] him will take it to mi. And if him no have it, him say ‘come with me’ and we go to the [banking] machine. I don’t know how mi ago cope cause this is the second day and it only a get worse,” Stephens said yesterday afternoon.

At the same time, Stephens’ mother, Patricia Pusey, who described him as her pride and joy, said the former Kingston College (KC) student was focused and trustworthy.

“When he was small we would walk to Cross Roads at 2:00 pm and he would admire the KC students. He would say, ‘Mother that is school I want to go. ‘Him do all of my businesses for me. I could give him my [bank] card to do anything and I don’t have to check to see if a cent was missing. I could trust him to do just about anything,” Pusey said.

“I have five girls, but the bond with him is close. Sometimes I would put my girls aside and a just Ramon I would call. They would say ‘everything a Ramon’,” Pusey said.

Family friend and colleague Sergeant Florezel Thompson said Stephens and his cousin wanted to be a soldier. He said Stephen joined the police force after he passed the age to join the Jamaica Defence Force.

Thompson, who said he was Stephens’ instructor during his training at the police college in St Catherine, said he was was transferred to the Motorised Patrol Division from the Street Crime Unit.

Stephens, Thompson said, recently recovered two firearms in Westmoreland and was doing a great job as a policeman.

“He wanted to turn the crime wave around with hard core policing. He was just a good guy and emulated his supervisor,” Thompson said, adding that it was a week ago that he he spoke with him.

Stephens’ cousin, Shavon Wilson, also spoke highly of the late policeman.

“Him closer to me than my own brother. From we young come right up; some people don’t know the difference between the two of us,” Wilson said.

Wilson said when he last spoke with Stephens on Saturday he was planning to take his children to ‘Funfest’, which took place yesterday.

Wilson said his cousin was a reliable and disciplined person. “If him say he’s going to do something for you, he’s going to do it. Him love him son. Him never put up with foolishness. If one of the kids get out of line’ he brought them ‘in line,” Wilson added.