CoP lashes back at Major Gen Brown

Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith has responded to criticism from former chief of defence staff Major Gen Ralph Brown by disparaging Brown's style of leadership in comparison with his own.

He asked Brown not to get involved in the "operational directions of his troops."

Brown condemned Griffith in a letter to the editor on Monday calling the CoP's public spat with the Prime Minister sad and disrespectful. He called on Griffith to fix his attitude when dealing with matters involving the PM or resign.

In a post on Facebook on Tuesday, the CoP hit back at Brown, assessing his performance as chief of defence during the July 1990 coup attempt as poor.

Griffith said, "There are leaders and there are followers."

Even though Brown was the most senior officer in the Defence Force in 1990, he said, "with most of his troops out in the line of fire, he instead stayed most of the time in the safety of Camp Ogden throughout the 1990 attempted coup. Griffith said " in contrast to what I would have done," Brown instead, "when he had the opportunity to put an end to the insurgents that same night, he waited and waited for politicians to direct him what to do and say. Thirty years later, he seems not to have changed."

Griffith went on, "Ralph Brown may not have acquired the opportunity for that type of proper training, so in contrast to his comments, one can recall General Dwight Eisenhower telling PM Winston Churchill that his constant advice is noted, but do not get involved in the operational directions of his troops.

"When those in uniform cannot be independent in the performance of their duties, they should never have been in uniform in the first place."