Chris Devereux hadn’t been on Grand Cayman very long, but according to Royal Cayman Islands Police supervisors he had already made quite an impression.
“He was a very dedicated officer and was involved in a lot of investigations,” said RCIPS Superintendent Kurt Walton.
Mr. Devereux, 54, of Liverpool, died Monday while off-duty during a recreational dive near the George Town coast.
According to police reports on the situation , Mr. Devereux was diving with a colleague near ‘the Mermaid’ [underwater sculpted bronze statue just off the coast near the Sunset House resort] when he started having trouble and lost consciousness.
Staff from Sunset House assisted in the rescue and brought Mr. Devereux to shore and performed CPR. He was taken to the Cayman Islands hospital in George Town where he was pronounced dead.
The 30-year UK veteran officer was assigned to the RCIPS Drugs and Serious Crime Task Force where he worked as a detective constable.
He was one of a number of UK officers that came to work in Cayman after RCIPS received an additional $4.6 million in government funding to bolster its ranks following a gang-related killing spree in September 2011.
Mr. Devereux joined the RCIPS in May 2012.
RCIPS officer Chris Devereux’s former boss and colleague, Merseyside Chief Constable Jon Murphy, praised his long-time officer on Tuesday.
“It was with sadness that I heard about the death of former Merseyside Police Detective Constable Chris Devereux, in the Cayman Islands yesterday,” Mr. Murphy said. “Having served with him as a cadet and then at several points during his career, I would describe him as a hard working and likeable man, as well as an outstanding police officer dedicated to serving the people of Merseyside for 30 years.
“As an experienced detective he was involved in a number of complex investigations and was a valued member of Merseyside Police. He will be sadly missed."
Police Comissioner David Baines also released the following statement:
“Although Chris had only been with the RCIPS for a
matter of months he had quickly become an integral part of the Drugs and
Serious Crime Task Force. He was both well-liked and respected by
colleagues. He will be remembered as a hard-working
and committed officer who played a significant role in some
of our most recent investigations. He will be sadly missed and
our thoughts are with his family and friends back in the United
Kingdom.”
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to clarify the material in 'The Mermaid' and edited to include the reaction of Jon Murphy and further edited to with comments from David Baines.