The Tribune

By FELICITY DARVILLE

I called up an old friend to say happy birthday yesterday, and I realised that sometimes, we miss opportunities to show gratitude and give merit to those who work selflessly for the betterment of their country. Retired Chief Superintendent of Police Derek Burrows is no exception.

During my years as a reporter, I worked the crime and court beat for at least a decade. Because of this, I had many opportunities to work with him and watch him in action. He was an outstanding police officer and a consummate professional. His standard of excellence was so high that I saw him have the admiration and respect of many - not only from his colleagues - but also from those who found themselves on the wrong side of the law.

As he carried out his duties, he took the time to reach out and touch hearts and change minds for the better. It’s the type of policing that we need more of today. If people can see officers as human beings, just like them; and if more officers can operate with compassion and a higher level of discretion, there is a chance to improve the relationship for the betterment of the country.

Two officers in Florida mentioned this in a report I did during the protests against the death of George Floyd. Relations between the people and police had broken down severely all over the United States. But these officers were on to something. They told me the only way to truly keep crime at bay is for police officers and members of the public to work hand-in-hand. They also suggested that weeding out corruption in the police force is an important component of improving those relations.

For Derek, this was a way of life: “Back in the day when I joined the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF), we used to knock on doors and get to know the people in our areas personally. We knew them and we worked together with them. It helped us to identify who the criminals were and it made it easier to eradicate crime in the community. Today, times have changed and these officers are not able to go door to door the way we did and as often as we did,” he explained.

“During my time, there was more respect for the senior ranks. This is important. There is too much political influence today. Back then, you followed the orders of your Commissioner to a ‘T’. Politicians could not interfere with the business of policing. If politics is involved, discipline will leave the force. If discipline of the highest order is returned, the force would be a much better institution.”

Discipline, he said, was the order of the day: “I came in as a young recruit in 1979 under Commissioner Salathiel Thompson, the first Commissioner of an Independent Bahamas. He was succeeded by Commissioner Gerald Bartlett, who commanded discipline of the highest order. He was followed by the strict and effective Commissioner BK Bonamy,” said Derek.

“The kind of discipline and the high level of training we received put us on a path of success for the rest of our lives. I advise any young Bahamian to join the Royal Bahamas Police or Defence Force. If you decide to move on to another career from there, any other field will be a breeze because you have the basic discipline you need. I honestly believe it is the best start for any young Bahamian.”

Derek spent 40 years on the RBPF, enjoying a lifelong career that sent him to various parts of the world and brought him merits and commendations that he can be proud of. He joined and became a Constable in 1979. By 1983, he was promoted to Corporal and by 1987, he rose to the rank of Sergeant. His upward path continued and he became an Inspector, then Chief Inspector. He moved up to Assistant Superintendent, then Superintendent, and finally, he retired as a Chief Superintendent in 2019. In addition to Commissioners Thompson, Bartlett and Bonamy, he served under Acting Commissioner Errol Farquharson, then under Commissioners Paul Farquharson, Reginald Ferguson, Ellison Greenslade and Anthony Ferguson.

Derek has represented his country and the RBPF throughout the world at several International Chief of Police Conferences. He said he gained a vast amount of knowledge from attending these conferences, and was brought up to speed on the latest technology and techniques for the police and military worldwide.

His expertise was required in many areas of policing. Over four decades, he worked as a Detective in Nassau and Grand Bahama; Officer-in-Charge of the Fort Charlotte Police Station; second-in-charge at Elizabeth Estates and South Beach Police Stations; he spent many years as a Police Prosecutor and left as second-in-charge; and he worked in the Northeastern, Southern and Western Divisions. When he retired, he left as Officer-in-Charge of Police Maintenance and the Police Force Garage.

Along the way, Derek received numerous certificates from improvement courses and seminars, and received special commendations. He received the prestigious Meritorious Police Medal in 1987, bestowed on him by then Governor General Sir Clifford Darling.

Also among his high points, he vividly remembers one he got as a young officer. He was riding solo in a marked police vehicle along Bay Street, back when it was a two way street. He saw a man bolt out of Prestige Jewellers and a woman ran outside after. She shouted to the officer to inform him that the man who was running had just robbed them. Derek turned the car around and made his pursuit. He saw the man jump into a vehicle. He followed the vehicle as it tried to make an escape up Blue Hill Road towards Government House. The traffic was thick. Just as the car attempted to weave out of the jam, he sped ahead and cornered the vehicle, eventually subduing the thief and recovering his loot. The perpetrator was found in possession of more than 300 gold chains, about $400 in cash, and a fake handgun. Derek received commendations from the Chief Justice and Commissioner Bartlett for this feat.

Derek was also a member of the pioneering police group, the Flying Squad, a division of the Criminal Investigation Department. It was a fugitive task force, assigned to seek out and capture fugitives. The original Flying Squad included Inspector Basil Dean who was in charge of the squad; Acting Inspector Bill Williams; Sergeant McMinns; and Officers Christopher Pickstock, Moree Evans, Courtney Stubbs, Ted Charlton and Derek Burrows.

A memory that stands out in his mind was the 2011 discovery of the body of Nellie Mae Brown-Cox. It was one that rocked the community, as she was the former President of the Bahamas Heart Association. Her accused murderer, Prince Hepburn, was her boyfriend at the time. Both were married to other people but separated.

Prince was a contractor. He was scheduled to meet his client that morning to travel to Miami to purchase building supplies. The client said she called him, and he told her he could not make it because he had killed Nellie. In disbelief, she called Derek, who then called Prince and he told him the same thing. The murder happened the night before. Derek got Prince to direct him to the home and the scene of the crime off Bougainvilla Avenue, South Beach Estates. Derek opened the door and saw the body of Nellie, severely hacked by a brand new cutlass. He had taken two officers with him - WPC Sweeting and ASP Earnest Hanna - and called other units to the scene. Prince, he said, claimed to feel weak and did not come out of his room because he had taken so many pills in what appeared to be a suicide attempt. It’s heart wrenching scenes like this that Derek wishes to see decrease in such a small and beautiful country.

After 40 years of dedicated service, Derek retired and then launched his own construction company. He also spends his time sharing his wisdom and policing knowledge with the next generation.

He is particularly proud to have four children who are excelling in the police and military: Inspector Renaldo Burrows, Corporal Derek Burrows Jr, WPC 4210 Daphne Burrows, and US Army Staff Sergeant Derekia Burrows, Military Platoon. He is also a proud father to his other children, including medical technician Samara Burrows, Leonardo Burrows, Natasha Munroe, Nicoya Knowles, Deandrea Stuart, Destiny Burrows and Lauren, who passed away at the age of 12 from a rare form of cancer. He is married to Linda Burrows.

Police officers today face new challenges, Derek said, including facing a pandemic “like none we have ever seen before”. Officers, as well as medical professionals, he said, must be on the front line and are fighting something they cannot see and don’t know where it has come from. Officers have to do their jobs often without proper personal protective equipment or enough sanitizing supplies. They receive instructions from the competent authority and from their bosses. They have to deal with the public at close contact daily. He encourages them to stand tall in the face of these challenges and he encourages their superiors to give them all the support they could muster.

He added that while the economy has been hit, he has also seen the rise in small businesses and applauds Bahamians’ resilience and determination to find new ways of making money and being self sufficient in the midst of a crisis. It’s something he learned from his mother, Anita Louise Burrows. She was a mother of nine boys, Derek being the second. She gave birth to a daughter first, but she did not survive. Anita also bore the loss of one of her sons in a house fire. Derek watched her work faithfully in the hotel industry as a cook, mostly at Balmoral, in order to take care of her sons. Upon retiring, she opened her own restaurant.

Derek was born and bred in the Bain and Grants Town communities. He has spent his entire life there. He attended Woodcock Primary, then the brown and tan school, now Albury Sayle. He then attended John F Kennedy Junior High, now HO Nash and then CC Sweeting. He had to leave school in order to help his mother take care of his younger siblings. He also thanks mentors like Elizabeth Goodridge, Elizabeth Clarke, HE Sir Ellison Greenslade, Rev Father Rodney Burrows, retired Assistant Commisioner Alonso Butler, and Matthew Williams. He got a job at the Nassau Yacht Club and took up a trade as an electrician at Taylor Industries before he applied and was recruited to the Police Force, which he found to be the best decision for his life, having enjoyed a successful and rewarding career path in national service.