MONTEGO BAY, St James — When Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Vernon Ellis was assigned commander of the St James Police Division in 2018 many thought it was career suicide, but they reassured him that because he was so young he had time to recover.

On Monday, Montego Bay’s business community heaped praise on him for a job well done as they bid him farewell. Ellis has been transferred to the Area Two Police headquarters and will also be focusing on academia, at least for a while.

He is currently studying for a master’s degree and will be pursuing a PhD in Strategic Management and Leadership as he prepares himself to realise his dream of becoming the commissioner of police.

“I am doing quite a few areas of studies. I am doing a master’s degree. I am approaching Level A for the PhD. Whilst I am doing the masters I am going to be doing the PhD in Strategic Management and Leadership,” Ellis said.

Determined to continue safeguarding of tourism product, he will integrate that aspect into his studies.

“I will include in my dissertation how AI technology can aid law enforcement in deployment, looking at performance, tracking systems, and how we can aid in several problems that we are having with tourism,” Ellis said.

“I am going out there and when I study that, I intend to come back. And when I implement it we are not only going to have a safer Jamaica but we are going to further secure the tourism product — which is our national treasure,” he added.

A bursary provided through Member of Parliament for St James East Central Edmund Bartlett’s constituency scholarship programme will help Ellis with the cost of his studies at the doctoral level.

“In recognition of your outstanding contributions to our community and your tireless efforts in ensuring the safety and security of our tourism sector, it is our privilege to present you with scholarship towards your studies. May it serve as a token of our deep appreciation for your indelible service and as an encouragement as you embark on your academic journey,” Bartlett said in a letter read by journalist Janet Silvera, who organised the farewell party.

Deputy executive chairman of Chukka Caribbean John Byles noted that the senior cop’s “legacy in Montego Bay is indelible”.

“We are certain that the same visionary leadership and heartfelt dedication will be felt across every community he touches,” Byles said in a message read by Roxanne Smith.

During the event Ellis was lionised for his leading role in the ‘Public Order Reset’ designed to curb the chaos on the streets and in the public spaces of Montego Bay. He also worked closely with agencies such as St James Municipal Corporation; successfully carried out social intervention in communities such as Salt Spring, where murders fell from 88 in 2017 to single digits; and worked with the Quick Response police motorcycle squad in redefining the relationship between the police and the community, helping also to maintain the resilient corridor which provided a safe space for tourists amidst the uncertainties brought by the pandemic, among other initiatives.

Mayor of Montego Bay, Councillor Richard Vernon highlighted the gains made in once-volatile Canterbury.

“Canterbury has not recorded a murder in the last five years,” Vernon said.

Custos of St James Conrad Pitkin described Ellis as “an exceptional human being” who will “do well” wherever he is assigned.

President of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry Oral Heaven said Ellis’s support to the business community had been tremendous.

“Well done! You are going to help out somebody else,” Heaven said.

SSP Ellis reflected on what it was like when he was assigned to St James shortly after the parish ended 2017 with a frightening 342 murders.

“They projected that 2018 would end at 500 murders, with all the conflicts and all that was happening, so I thought to myself, ‘Wonder if I could get it to 450?’ Because they told me I was going to fail miserably,” he recounted.

He noted that with the forging of partnerships with members of the business sector, residents, and community groups; coupled with government initiatives such as states of emergency, the murder tally at the end of 2018 stood at 102.

Ellis has spent 72 months and three weeks in St James.

“I am leaving you happy too. I think with the citizens, I forged some strong partnerships; I rebuilt some relationships for the police and the citizens and created a pathway for what the transformation model of the force is,” he said proudly.

He was, however, quick to warn that if they are to be successful in their fight against crime, the police need sustained partnerships.

“The police department or the Government cannot bring down the crime — it is a collective effort of every single person. I never had more resources than anybody else [so] it is the partnership that all of you would have put into this [which brought about the results]. We safeguarded that tourism product. We fought for it. The partnership, I want it to continue,” he said, appealing for similar support for his successor.

Superintendent Eron Samuels will take over from Ellis.