Congrats and good luck, Gary

THE EDITOR: Open letter to Gary Griffith, Commissioner of Police-designate.

I publicly congratulate you for being chosen as the next Commissioner of Police.

Having had the opportunity to work with you at very senior levels of government, I can attest to your dedication to your nation and to your craft.

You have, ahead of you, a great challenge. The criminal elements have infiltrated every segment of our beloved republic inclusive of the Police Service you have been chosen to lead.

Further, the very government that has chosen you, flawed process or not, is distinguished by presiding over the worst records on crime, both in this incarnation and the 2002-2010 incarnation.

There seems an obvious conflict with your perceived commitment of making this country a safer place for all to live in and the blase approach to crime reduction taken by the current policymakers. It is my hope that you can overcome this dilemma and not be driven into a state of frustration or become a scapegoat by the very people who appear to support you today.

It is particularly important that the drive towards making our nation safer isn’t overshadowed by the cosmetics of ghetto raids and the arrests of low-level operatives while the kingpins increase their largesse and their hold on the institutions of this republic.

I pray that your independent thought will not be compromised and that your appointment, when analysed in the medium term, will be celebrated as the first step taken towards the evolution of a safe twin-island state and a respected Police Service.

GARVIN NICHOLAS via e-mail

Comments

"Congrats and good luck, Gary"

More in this section