The Royal Grenada Police Force (RGPF) has been plunged into deep mourning with the loss of a senior member from a Covid-19 related death early Wednesday.
THE NEW TODAY was told that Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Byron “Donkey” Clyne who was attached to Central Police Station on the Carenage in St. George contracted the virus and then a stroke which resulted in him seeking medical attention at the St. George’s General Hospital.
An official police bulletin said: “The Royal Grenada Police Force is in mourning as we have lost a fellow officer. Assistant Superintendent Byron Clyne, who was last attached to the Central Division passed away at the General Hospital on Wednesday 15th September, 2021.
The Commissioner of Police, Gazetted Officers, Rank and File of the force extend deep condolences to the family, friends and colleagues as we come to terms with this loss.
Following his death, the Commissioner of Police ordered that all police flags be flown at half-mast.”
Clyne attracted national attention as a key member of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the police force due to his involvement in the cracking of several high profile drug-related crimes in the 1990’s.
According to a senior police officer, he was distraught when he heard that his colleague had tested positive for the deadly virus a few weeks ago.
“I knew he was home with the Covid. He was in Central – he was supposed to come to work the night and he didn’t,” he said.
Clyne along with several police officers had tested positive for the virus and were asked to stay home in isolation.
The senior officer stated that ASP Clyne got the stroke home and went to the St. George’s General Hospital for treatment and died a few weeks later after admittance.
“Clyne was a good policeman. The only problem is that he was political and against the government – he was against the government heavy,” he said.
“He was an alright police – I knew him as an alright police,” he quipped.
ASP Clyne was a close associate of another police officer, Kenrick Fullerton who ran on a ticket of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) and won a seat to sit in Parliament for the St. Andrew South-east constituency in the 2003 general election.
“Fullerton was his boy,” said a retired cop who supervised ASP Clyne for a number of years.
When NDC won the 2008 general election, ASP Clyne was put in charge of the initial security arrangements around new Prime Minister Tillman Thomas.
ASP Clyne was forced to take the Keith Mitchell-led government to court over its failure to promote him for a number of years allegedly on the grounds of his political affiliation with the Congress party.
He won the case and was awarded an undisclosed sum of money.
However, former Attorney General Cajeton Hood who represented Clyne in the case before the high court said that the matter was heard in 2011 and government is still to pay the cost awarded by the court for its loss.
THE NEW TODAY cannot independently confirm whether ASP Clyne was among the vaccinated or the unvaccinated for Covid-19.
ASP Clyne was also said to be an ardent player of table tennis.
Former national table tennis player Ray Roberts said: “I am saddened. Byron was a friend of mine. A gentleman and wonderful human. RIP and God bless your family,”
ASP Clyne who is believed to be in his mid-50’s was living in Grand Bras, St. Andrew with his wife and family.