A decorated police superintendent who seized the initiative during a march by workers through Hamilton during the General Strike of 1981 was praised for his calm in a crisis.

Campbell Simons, who has died aged 78, was also an “outstanding” sportsman on the police football and cricket teams, as well as for Somerset Cricket Club, where he was a Cup Match captain in the 1970s.

Glenn Fubler, a community activist, said he would always remember Mr Simons for his cool-headed decision during the island-wide industrial strife of 1981, when a spontaneous and illegal march by hundreds of strikers passed through the streets of Hamilton.

Mr Fubler said in 2017: “With no formal permission for the procession, Police Superintendent Campbell Simons led the march for the better part of an hour throughout the city.

“Upon the march conclusion, it was clear that the community spirit had shifted from heightened polarisation and strikers better recognised that it was about ‛we’.”

Mr Simons was a 38-year veteran of the police service.

He joined as a Police Cadet in 1960 and retired in 1998 as Acting Assistant Commissioner of Police

His career spanned the Eastern, Western and Central divisions.

Mr Simons, a skilled motorcyclist, also served in traffic policing and rode in the police motorcycle display team, which operated from 1969 to 1971.

Others roles he filled included CID, narcotics, a stint at headquarters and airport security officer.

He took over as officer in charge of St George’s Police Station after he was promoted to Chief Inspector in 1985.

Mr Simons became divisional commander at Hamilton Police Station in 1991 after he was promoted to superintendent.

Mr Simons was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal in 1998 and he also held the Colonial Police Medal and four commendations, including recognition in 1978 for information leading to the conviction of a man who murdered a child.

Mr Simons was a regular at The Spot restaurant in Hamilton and enjoyed his retirement playing cards and dominoes with friends.

• Campbell DeCosta Simons, police officer and Somerset Cup Match cricketer, was born on January 31, 1943. He died on September 13, 2021, aged 78