Retired Detective Inspector Hugh George Davidson was eulogised as an excellent police officer and true friend to his colleagues and associates at a thanksgiving service for his life on April 12 at Church of the Holy Spirit in Portmore, St Catherine.

Davidson, known to his friends and colleagues as “Debo”, was 66 years old when he passed on March 29, 2017 after ailing for a long time.A message from then Acting Commissioner of Police Novelette Grant noted that Davidson enlisted in the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) on January 23, 1974. During his tenure, he served the divisions of Police Academy, Mobile Reserve, Protective Services, Special Branch and National Intelligence Bureau.“For his outstanding and professional service, Hugh Davidson received four commendations and medals. Inspector Davidson retired on September 17, 2010 having committed 36 years, seven months and 24 days of exemplary and courageous service to the people of Jamaica,” Grant said.“It is never easy to say goodbye to someone who meant so much. We have lost a beloved son, brother, friend, colleague and public servant,” she added.Retired Deputy Commissioner of Police Delworth Heath, who joined the JCF at the same time as Davidson, recalled that his batchmate was a sharp dresser and a man who knew how to manage his money.Heath also said that Davidson was always willing to give advice to his younger colleagues and would never deny them a favour.He said that it was only recently that most of the members of their batch decided to have a reunion, given that they were all retired and now had more time to renew their bond. “Unfortunately, Hugh will not be here to share in that,” Heath said, adding that he will remember him as a good police officer.Journalist Vernon Davidson recalled meeting his cousin Debo through the cop’s best friend Clive Brooks.“At the time, I remember Clive, who was a customs officer, saying to me ‘Hey young bwoy, you have a cousin named Hugh who is in the police force. We call him Debo’,” Davidson told the congregation.He recalled going on many weekend outings to rural Jamaica with Clive and Debo, particularly to south St Elizabeth where they had a lot of friends.“It was not uncommon for the group of us to go into people’s homes in this community and benefit from their generosity, as they always had enough dinner to spare. In fact, it was on one of these outings that I discovered how much Debo loved bread,” Davidson recalled.“It was a Sunday, and having spent most of the day in St Elizabeth, we were on our way back home when, as usual, we stopped at the home of a friend in Clarendon. Hungry after consuming copious amounts of, let’s just say drinks, Debo and Clive enquired of this friend if they had any dinner left. ‘Yes, cow head and rice and peas’, came the welcomed answer… well, welcomed by them because I, having no palate for that portion of the bovine beast, kindly declined the offer,” Davidson related, eliciting laughter from the congregation.“The fact, though, was that the portions of meat were small, so, having cleared his plate of the cow head, Debo had a fair bit of rice and peas left. Then, with a mischievous smirk, came the question: ‘Yu have any bread?’“Clive, apparently well aware of Debo’s love for the baked product, started laughing. I, of course was puzzled. But it wasn’t until our hosts served Debo two hefty slices and I observed him making a rice and peas sandwich that I, too, folded over in stitches,” Davidson said, eliciting more laughter from the congregation.After sharing more hilarious adventures, Davidson remembered his cousin as the type of person who would not leave a friend in need and who was able to mix his “carefree nature with the seriousness that his job demanded”.“That he was awarded four commendations and medals during his 36 years of service to the JCF and to Jamaica in general, speaks to his dedication to duty and firm commitment to the oath he took to serve and protect,” Davidson said.“I could not stand here this morning and say with all honesty that Hugh was perfect. After all, who among us is? What is important, though, is that he never made a spectacle of himself. And even during his final days battling illness he maintained his dignity and sense of humour.“That was indeed the true measure of the man. A man with a large heart and who was a true friend.”