Elite police unit coming

A group of specially trained police, including civilians with specialised training, will be assigned to a new unit whose main focus will be to assist existing units in bringing closure to high-profile probes.

Yesterday Commissioner Gary Griffith said when the new elite, specialised unit is formed, he intends to close “all the gates,” and all existing high-profile investigations.

“I am mobilising a very highly trained elite unit to respond to any major security issue in any major sting operation, as well as assisting in the closure of some investigations.”

He said the new unit will comprise some of these officers who were instrumental in the successful extraction of kidnap victim Natalie Pollonais.”

He said some of the members will also be involved in intelligence-gathering and tactical exercises.

The new unit is required, he said, and there is an allowance for the commissioner to hire people as SRPs.

This will be a specific unit which requires highly skilled people in specific fields that will improve and speed up matters that require closure, such as kidnappings, and it could also improve what happens at the Fraud Squad, CID, other intelligence units and CSI. Griffith denied information on social media that he had hired seven retired defence force officers to do an audit at the Finance Branch of the police.

“This is one of many fabrications because I’ve been stepping on certain toes and what they are doing is just trying to find red herrings.”

He believes the misinformation is an effort to spread lies and divert attention.

He said he had been micromanaging affairs at the Finance Branch. Last week he said an audit will be done at the Finance Branch in the wake of alleged discrepancies in the payment of exorbitant overtime.