SANTA CRUZ, St Elizabeth — Outgoing commander of the St Elizabeth police, Superintendent Maurice Robinson and his replacement Superintendent Dezeta Taylor heard generous words of praise during a function at Luana, just outside Black River in St Elizabeth recently.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Derrick Cochrane, who heads Police Area Three (St Elizabeth, Manchester and Clarendon), hailed the two officers as possessing "great command experience".

Robinson, who spent just over two years as police chief in St Elizabeth, will move on to serve as operations officer in tough St Catherine North, while Taylor comes to St Elizabeth from the Area Three command.

Cochrane hailed Robinson "as one who is a solution-oriented leader, who leads from the front and one who is hands on..."

Cochrane noted that having spent her "formative years" as a police officer in St Elizabeth, Taylor had "come full circle to lead this division".

The assistant commissioner urged the St Elizabeth police team to "coalesce" around Taylor as she leads the way in crafting strategies "to further drive down the crime rate and enhance citizen safety in this division".