The Bermuda Police Service (BPS) regrets to announce the death of Sergeant Gregory MacArthur Grimes. Sergeant Grimes passed away in the early
hours of Thursday morning following a medical emergency on Wednesday afternoon in which several police colleagues came to his aid.
Commissioner of Police, Mr. Michael DeSilva, said: “This comes as tragic and difficult news for many of us who knew him well. Greg was highly respected and admired, and he touched the hearts of so many of our officers and support staff. He was regarded as an exemplary and compassionate supervisor who cared deeply about his colleagues, and he had a passion about policing and his community. We are all stunned by the loss of Greg and we have activated welfare and support services for any of our staff that might need them. On behalf of the officers and staff of the Bermuda Police Service and the Bermuda Reserve Police, I offer our sincere condolences to Greg's family and friends who are in our thoughts and prayers at this most difficult time. He will be intensely missed.”
Sergeant Grimes joined the BPS as a police cadet in August 1978. He was promoted to sergeant in April 1991 and he served in a variety of posts including uniform, CID, and Special Branch. More recently, he held the post of lead custody sergeant.
He managed the custody facility at Hamilton Police Station and he had direct leadership of new police recruits and probationary constables.
His professional commitment and high performance earned him the award of Officer of the Year twice in the last five years.
Sergeant Grimes was also awarded the Overseas Territories (Police) Medal for meritorious service in the Queen's Birthday Honours this year.
Outside of policing, he served as a board member and former chair of the BFA as well as a FIFA referee. He was actively involved in all aspects of football in Bermuda for over 20 years, including youth football, coaching and refereeing.
He has represented Bermuda internationally as part of the BFA’s delegations to matches held by the Caribbean Football Union and CONCACAF.