From left, Police Commissioner Derek Byrne, Chief Officer of the Ministry of Human Resources and Immigration Wesley Howell, Minister for Finance and Economic Development Roy McTaggart, Collector of Customs Charles Clifford, Coast Guard Commander Robert Scotland, Lieutenant Commander Leo Anglin and Premier Alden McLaughlin.
Premier Hon. Alden McLaughlin today announced the names of the three Caymanians who will be in charge of Cayman’s Customs and Border Control Agency and new Coast Guard.
The appointment of the Director of the New Customs and Border Control department and the Commander and Deputy Commander of the Cayman Islands Coast Guard shows that the Government is delivering on its promise to transform the RCIPS Marine Unit into a Cayman Islands Coastguard Service.
The Coast Guard service is being established with dedicated resources to allow detection and interdiction of boats arriving in Cayman waters with drugs and guns, as well as illegal immigrants. It will have the ability to board and search vessels in our waters and make arrests if needed.
“The idea of our own Coast Guard began to take shape under the Progressives-led Administration in the last term of Government,” Mr. McLaughlin said. “We committed to it in our Manifesto and today we are publicly putting our dream into reality. There has been a lot of behind the scenes work to get us to this point and I commend everyone who has helped in the formation and success of a Cayman Islands’ Coast Guard.”
Cayman obtained the services of Mr. Phil Bostock, who is commander in the United Kingdom’s Maritime and Coast Guard Agency in January this year to assist in the development of the Coast Guard.
“I told members of the House and the public in March this year that work had already begun to improve border security and merge the Customs and Immigration agencies into a single border force,” Mr. McLaughlin said. “I am happy to say that as of January 1, 2019, The Department of Immigration and the Cayman Islands Customs Department will merge to create the Customs and Border Control Agency.”
Staff members have been involved in specialist joint operations and training continues in enhanced search and rescue capabilities. Cayman has also been assisted since January by Mr. Colin Brown of the United Kingdom Border Force who is helping us make the Customs and Immigration merger effective.
“All three of the appointments are good for Caymanians and the Cayman Islands and I thoroughly support these men,” said Minister for Finances and Economic Development Hon. Roy McTaggart under whose remit Customs falls. “Their backgrounds make them uniquely qualified for the jobs at hand and we can all rely on them to keep Cayman safe.”
The new Commander is Robert Scotland who has more than 26 years of law enforcement experience, 10 of which have been in a strategic management capacity. Mr. Scotland is a former police superintendent and an excellent example of the calibre of Caymanians who are willing and able to serve their country in this extremely important role.
Mr. Scotland has earned a reputation as a resourceful problem solver with excellent communication, analytical, and leadership skills as he worked locally and regionally. These attributes will be an asset in the establishment of effective and efficient Coast Guard operations.
The Lieutenant Commander is Mr. Leo Anglin, a former Police Inspector, who has experience in command of the Joint Marine Unit and experience with the Cayman Islands Port Authority. Mr. Anglin is experienced in training and developing junior officers, marine drugs and firearms interdiction, search and rescue as well as strategic and operational law enforcement. He served as a capable tactical and operations inspector with the Joint Marine Unit of the RCIPS.
The Cayman Islands Coast Guard will be operationally independent but report to the Commissioner of Police.
The appointment of Mr. Scotland and Mr. Anglin follows a recruitment process conducted by the Ministry of Human Resources and Immigration.
On 1 January of next year Mr. Charles Clifford will take up the lead role as Director of Customs and Border Control.
Mr. Clifford, a son of the soil, has worked his way up from a police cadet to Chief Inspector. He has worked within Central Government in the role of Senior Assistant Secretary (Now called Deputy Chief Officer) and ultimately Permanent Secretary and Chief Officer of Tourism, Environment, Development and Commerce.
He has served as the Collector of Customs for over three years and is a qualified and practiced attorney. Mr. Clifford brings a wide range of solid and relevant experience to this new agency.
“I am confident that the team of officers and staff of the Immigration and Customs Department will support his leadership in the establishment of the New Customs and Border Control Department, taking the security of our airports and seaport to world class,” Mr. McLaughlin said. “This new agency is tasked diligently to uphold the law in relation to customs duty, landing and entry, asylum and border control.
The appointment of Mr. Clifford follows a recruitment process also conducted by the Ministry of Human Resources and Immigration.