Anguillian Woman Police Officer, Inspector Marva Brooks, who made significant strides in the Royal Anguilla Police Force, has retired after thirty years of unblemished and dedicated service. The effective date of her retirement is Monday, January 9, 2017.
Originally from North Side, the former top cop, known for her professional bearing and commanding stature, recalled how she became a member of the Royal Anguilla Police Force. “I never gave a thought to joining the Force,” she told The Anguillian. “I was home at my dad’s house one day when my brother, Kenneth, who was then a Police Officer, said to me out of the blue: ‘they are asking for police recruits – why don’t you join the Police Force?’ Following that simple conversation, I applied and was accepted shortly thereafter. It was on January 9, 1987 that I joined the Force and went off to train at the Regional Police Training Centre in Barbados. I am grateful to my brother especially now that I have retired and he is still working – not as a policeman though, but as an Immigration Officer.”
Ms. Brooks traced her promotions and service over the years. “Having completed my six months of initial training, I worked on beat and patrol for over ten years. I was transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department in 1999 and was promoted to the rank of Sergeant having passed the required examination. After serving for about three years at the CID, I was transferred to the Traffic Department as Officer-in-charge. In 2010, I was promoted to the rank of Inspector.”
Inspector Brooks did further training all through her ranks. “I attended numerous courses overseas in such places as the United Kingdom, Jamaica, Barbados and Trinidad, among other Caribbean islands,” she reflected. “The courses had to do with general policing, junior and senior CID training, drug trafficking, sexual offences as well as management courses as I moved to the top of my career.”
Asked what personal accomplishments she felt proud about, she replied: “There were a number of cases I worked on and was able to get good results and convictions in court,” she said. “I saw smiles on people’s faces who were victims of crime and obtained justice with my assistance. I remember a case with Mr. Stanley Reid, who was then serving as Prosecutor in the Attorney General’s Chambers. There were a number of other Police Officers involved in the case, but Mr. Reid told me he only wanted me to provide the evidence. It was a lot of pressure on me, but afterwards I was commended by him and the court. That really made me very proud. In fact, the court commended me several times for being able to give good evidence in various cases.”
Inspector Brooks said she had always tried to live up to the high ideals of a Police Officer, to practice what she preached, and to lead by example. “I am also very proud of that, and if I wanted I could have stayed on in the Force until I reached 55,” she stated. If so, she would have liked to aspire to and achieve the rank of Superintendent. “I have acted in that rank several times. Actually, I was the first Anguillian female officer to have acted Superintendent. It was the highest position I reached. Other milestones I was very proud about included having been the first female officer in the Royal Anguilla Police Force to have led the official parade at the Anguilla Day celebrations.”
Ms. Brooks is also proud of the fact that she had a good working relationship with almost all of the officers in the rank and file of the Force. “We had a very good camaraderie and I want to thank them for their support and encouragement,” she said. “Things did not always go as I expected, but I am grateful to the Royal Anguilla Police Force for having further instilled in me some additional discipline which has helped to make me who I am today. I absolutely have no regrets whatsoever for being a member of the Royal Anguilla Police Force. I am also thankful to members of the public for their support – as well as my family, including my son Javile, the love of my life, who has always been at my side; and again to my brother, Kenneth, who encouraged me to join the Police Force in the first place.”
