A 54-year-old off duty RCIPS police officer has died after getting into difficulty while diving off Sunset House.

Just after 3.00pm today the officer had been shore diving with a colleague in the vicinity of the Mermaid when he got into difficulty and lost consciousness. His colleague brought him to the surface. Staff from Sunset House immediately assisted, brought him to shore and performed CPR. When the ambulance crew arrived they continued CPR while conveying the officer to the Cayman Islands Hospital in George Town. However, despite efforts of the dive staff and the paramedics he was pronounced dead on arrival.

A family liaison officer has been appointed by the RCIPS and efforts are being made to contact his next of kin.

The man has now been named as Chris Devereux. Chris was from Liverpool in the UK and joined the RCIPS in May 2012.

Statement from Commissioner David Baines in relation to Chris Devereux:

“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.”

iNews Cayman sends condolences to Mr. Devereux’s family and friends.