First black man, let alone Jamaican man, in the 147-year history of Canada, to head a police division in the North American country.....Jamaican is Winnipeg's top cop It was never my goal to reach so far, I just wanted to be a good policeman, says Devon Clunis

BY KIMONE THOMPSON Associate editor — features thompsonk@jamaicaobserver.com  Tuesday, March 25, 2014    

HE is the first black man, let alone Jamaican man, in the 147-year history of Canada, to head a police division in the North American country.

Devon Clunis (left) took his Oath of Office in 2012,
becoming Winnipeg’s 17th Chief of Police.

That kind of reality would put pressure on anybody, but not Superintendent Devon Clunis, chief of the Winnipeg Police Service. He appears calm, relaxed, level-headed, humble and without the proverbial chip on the shoulder that lofty elevations have the potential to conjure.

In a recent conversation with the Jamaica Observer, the Harmony Vale, St Ann native said when he enlisted in the police force in Winnipeg 29 years ago, there were no other black people in the service. Things have changed dramatically over the years, with the force now having representation from all races and nationalities.

The 50-year-old said that while he didn't feel pressured by his new post and its historical significance, he was seized with the weight of the responsibility it brings. He admitted that he never consciously aspired to the top job. He always knew he wanted to be a policeman, and has done nothing else his entire professional life, but his desire to be a "good police-man" and an example to young boys propelled him beyond his dreams.

Fate might have had a hand in it too, as, when he contemplated retirement in the winter of 2011, the sitting commissioner at the time announced his own retirement. more