CoP, don’t be part of Carnival 'gallery'

THE EDITOR: I am yet to understand why there is a need for the Police Commissioner, the Chief of Defence Staff and the heads of the other state security arms to be walking about on Carnival Monday and Tuesday with the Minister of National Security on what is, obviously, a political publicity stunt.

On Carnival Tuesday last year, at least six senior police officers were in that party with Commissioner Gary Griffith. This has been going on for several years with previous commissioners.

I see this as an absolute waste of supervisory manpower since those senior officers could have been providing better service elsewhere. In my view, that walkabout is a charade.

In fact, the commissioner should have been on horseback with an orderly accompanying him and he should have been moving freely along the parade route and between the competition venues so as to have a good sense of what was taking place.

In days gone by, the commissioner, his deputies and his assistant commissioners would all have been on horseback. Everard Snaggs was the last commissioner to be seen atop a horse on Carnival days.

Commissioner Griffith, please do not succumb to this charade and do the policing you should be doing on those days, instead of being a part of the political gallerying through the city with the politicians.

CLYDE ALPHONSO

via e-mail