Glenroy Sinclair, Staff Reporter
Corporal Calvin Lewis ... the coach of Police National who has lofty ambitions. - ANDREW SMITH/PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
POLICE NATIONAL'S victory in the 2004/2005 KSAFA Major League football competition has transformed Corporal Calvin Lewis from a tough street cop to an aspiring top-flight coach.
"My aim is to one day become a part of the national football programme," said the 32-year-old sub-officer, who has taken on coaching as another profession.
Last year he was invited to the Police National training by Superintendent Harry Daley, who gave him a mandate to ensure that the team qualified for the KSAFA Super League.
"At first it was an uphill task, but, after getting the players to settle down, they got to understand my philosophy because we gel together like a family," said Lewis. The police team defeated Greenwich Town 3-2 on aggregate in the semi-finals, then clipped Meadhaven 4-2 on penalties in the second leg of the two-way finals to win their first major football title.
Popularly known as 'Dibble', Lewis tackled crime head on in the mid 1990s, apprehending some of the country's most dangerous criminals.
COMMUNITY POLICING
His transformation began in 2002 when he was transferred to the remote district of Point Hill in rural St. Catherine. He immediately took on the role of community policing, effecting arrests and helping the residents in various ways.
"Based on my assessment, I believe that there were only two ways in which we could unite the community - either with music or sports. I chose football," Lewis explained.
A graduate of Kingston College, the sub-officer said he voluntarily coached the Point Hill football team to the St. Catherine Division Two title. The following year he went to Dunbeholden in Portmore where he qualified the team for the South Confederation Super League.
They were beaten in the semi-finals by Arlington, who went on to represent the parish in the National Premier League. His appetite for coaching was whetted by a close friend, Junior Samuels, who is currently one of the trainers with the national senior squad.
According to Lewis, Samuels, who is affiliated to Portmore United, invited him to their training to observe what the preparation of the team was like.
"Apart from reading and watching tapes, I have learned a lot," said Lewis, who vowed to continue coaching the police team.
FELL IN LOVE WITH THE FORCE
As a teenager he fell in love with the police force and got enrolled in December 1990, the same year he graduated from high school. He has since served in Portland, the CIB Headquarters in downtown Kingston, Operation Justice and St. Catherine North. At present, he is attached to the West Kingston Police Division.
During his short stint as a footballer, he represented Rae Town in the various age group competitions under the watchful eyes of coach Percival 'Heightsman' Cordwell, who exposed him to the game.
Lewis said his favourite local coach is Geoffrey Maxwell due to his wealth of football knowledge.
His favourite player is Ricardo Fuller, the former Camperdown High and Tivoli Gardens striker who now plies his trade in the United Kingdom.
