An incensed member of the Police Service Commission (PSC) has described Prime Minister Mia Mottley’s recent attack on the body for its handling of promotions in the Royal Barbados Police Force (RBPF) as highly irresponsible.
Retired Deputy Commissioner of Police and former top crime sleuth Keith Whittaker has taken Prime Minister Mottley to task for the statements she made last Friday at a news conference at Parliament Buildings to address the current upsurge in gun violence in the island. Mottley launched a verbal assault on the then Guyson Mayers-led PSC as she promised to deal with the issue of promotion which she said had eroded the morale within the police force.
“We are satisfied that the greatest cannibalization of the Royal Barbados Police Force took place in the last few years. It cannot be allowed to happen again. You cannot attack an institution and expect it to prosper…You cannot have successive Commissioners of Police making recommendations for promotions in the police force based on their perceptions of performance and merit and discipline, and then have a Police Service Commission completely ignoring those recommendations and choosing to promote who they want on criteria known only to them,” she told reporters.
But in an equally strident rebuke, Whittaker, who represents the interests of the force on the PSC, this morning lambasted the PM Mottley for lumping everyone on that constitutional body and labelling them in the same manner.
“It is a very irresponsible act…and it is not fair to get on national TV and lambast the Police Service Commission without being aware of all the facts,” the respected former senior cop told Barbados TODAY.
Noting that he was not a political person, the retired senior police officer said it was sad that Barbados had come to this juncture.
“I am not interested in no politician or no political party. I am interested in Barbados and the Royal Barbados Police Force. And that is what I am trying to do on the PSC. I am transparent in everything that I do. Tell her that. If they find the chairman [former] political, that is a matter [for them]; I am not political,” Whittaker stressed.
Whittaker told Barbados TODAY he was hurt by the Prime Minister’s comments.
“After serving 40 years in the Royal Barbados Police Force, it hurts me to know the excellent service that I gave in the force and then I could be pulled in the gutter by the Prime Minister lambasting the PSC…putting all in one basket. I am not in that,” he declared.
Whittaker, who was in charge of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for lengthy periods during his four decades in the force and linked to the apprehension of some of Barbados’ most notorious criminals, sought to defend his reputation as a “professional”.
“I have a proper character…integrity…I serve; I get shot at; I get dynamite pelt at me for fighting for this country; I get urinated on while waiting for criminals … for this country… and then to be labelled like that. I’m annoyed.
“All of these things I did for this country, then to be lambasted by a Prime Minister. It is wrong…to me. I’m hurt,” he lamented.
Meanwhile, Whittaker told Barbados TODAY he was not sure if the Prime Minister had consulted with the PSC on the appointment of former Commissioner of Police Darwin Dottin to be a consultant to the sitting COP Tyrone Griffith.
The PSC, which is headed by new chairperson Margot Greene QC, is responsible for advising the Governor General on appointments in the police force, and to remove and exercise disciplinary control over persons holding or acting in such offices.
Apart from Greene and Whittaker, the other members of the commission are the Reverend Vaughn Watson, Neville Lewis and Shirley Farnum.
This is the first time that a retired commissioner of police has been returned as a consultant to the force and/or government on matters related to crime. The Police Act makes no provisions for the appointment of such a consultant to a sitting Commissioner of Police nor obliges a sitting Commissioner of Police to adhere to any advice given by a civilian consultant.
Neither former PSC chairman Guyson Mayers nor current chairman Greene could be reached for comment.
He is a clown. All three of them are DLP cronies. Stupse.
I agree with what our PM said about the PSC. It was abundantly clear for everyone to see.
Law and order in Barbados up to recently a poster child for best practices is at a sad pass we hope its temporary. The current violence is the worst post -Independence. The firebombing in Tudor Street was a horrific one off. January 2019 enters history as a month of unusual national trauma the country is shell shocked at the bloodshed
Could he offer up a solution or advice or something constructive to help with the crime going on? People want results by any means possible or necessary.
Total mayhem already in 8 months.
Well said PM MIA…look at what is happening at the PRESENT moment under the PRESENT COMMISSIONER.
Everybody knows why DOTTIN was REMOVED and WHY and everybody knows when the PRESENT COP was appointed and the DPP too
Everybody knows what the AG said to the present COP about the ICBL affair and everybody knows what was his reply.
…and Carson C Cadogan…allya in got a REAL CADAVER involved IN ALL YA AFFAIRS? everything is BARROW this and BARROW that….and to that GOAT PATTY…and you getting on as though NO ONE CAN QUESTION YOU when YOU question PM MIA and the BEES
Can’t YOU see that YOU are SPITTING in the air?
YOU need to stop QUESTIONING peoples OPINIONS on this blog on TOPICS when they DO NOT AGREE with YOURS….form YOUR OPINION on the TOPICS and others would do the SAME
i agree with the PRIME MINSTER, it is evident of the chopping of heads in the RBPF, and those three senior police officers there in the photo know of it very well, KEITH WHITTAKER, GRANTLEY WATSON, AND BERTIE HINDS, ask them three about JASPER WATSON, and why he was blocked from getting COMMISSIONER OF THE RBPF, ORVILLE DURANT in that trio just mentioned, another back stabbing brute, cause all then know JASPER should have been COMMISSIONER, even JASPER SON RONALD was over look under the last COMMISSIONER OF POLICE for promotion, poor boy got frustrated and left the force, let it be known PRIME MINISTER, THEY WILL DO THINGS IN ACCORDANCE OF THE LAW IN EVERY ASPECT, PROMOTIONS AND OTHER WISE,
FAKE NEWS it aint no total mayhem, its called cleanig house or putting things in order, we had too much superseding over the years, well in recent times, now its time to stop it, your friend is my friend, my friend is them friend, my girl is we girl, your girl is them girl, nah brek up dat, that is where the mayhem is FAKE NEWS
@ROGER PARISH: You are being very naive if you believe that this will not continue under the BLP. Politicians across the board ahve no interest in fair, just in what gets them what they want.
harry u are obviously a challenged person..talking to u is like dealing with a baby…u are strange…n u insult everyone who differs from u..pathetic fellow..
@RIC you are right, i am naive, and that was to believe the DLP would have made a difference, until they made off with millions from the government purse, look we can be honest and say no government is perfect, but at least give her a little credit, she trying to put things in place, which the last government didnt do, even if she aint really mean it,at least she doing, the last DLP government sent home DARWIN DOTTIN, and put TYRONE GRIFFTITH as COMMISSIONER, which was rain water and pipe water all is water, both can drink, GRIFFITH was ready to drink, and DOTTIN just wanted a few additives and he would have been ready too,
And it continues!! Stay tune
Wait!! He still around??
Guys, keep the focus on curbing the violence and spare the political heckling. When the next mother, father or sibling sees their loved one lifeless due to crime. They thoughts are not about who appointed you.
Focus on fixing the causes of crime, deterrent, and severe punishment including white colour crime