est. 2007

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Hunt for Local Gary Griffith to Replace Tyrone Griffith

Like a recurring decimal crime it is one of the issues we have been unable to arrest. We scoffed at David Thompson’s 1999 political campaign slogan ‘crime and violence’, before that an Attorney General Maurice King assured a suspicious public there were no gangs in Barbados. Then there was the famous ‘me hands tied’ song…

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Like a recurring decimal crime it is one of the issues we have been unable to arrest. We scoffed at David Thompson’s 1999 political campaign slogan ‘crime and violence’, before that an Attorney General Maurice King assured a suspicious public there were no gangs in Barbados. Then there was the famous ‘me hands tied’ song made famous by lyrical master RPB referring to Commissioner of Police Orville Durant at the time. What has replaced PAREDOS? How can we forget the tinkering by the Police Services Commission by politicians? What about the moribund police Service Authority?

It has been reported Commissioner of Police (COP) Tyrone Griffith will be retiring very soon. The blogmaster shared the concerns of those who suggest a more visible COP was required in the last decade and maybe partly responsible for the predicament we find ourselves. The country is being punished with escalating violent crime with 100 murders recorded in the period 2018 to present.

Has the time come for an expat Commissioner of Police to be recruited? We have the experiences of Trinidad and Jamaica to reference. Canadians Dwayne Gibbs and Jack Ewatski were contracted in 2010 by the Trinidad government and after a brief stint were forced to tender resignations in 2012. There was Englishman Mark Shields who also served briefly in the role of deputy Commissioner of police in the Jamaica constabulary. He is remembered for his role in the mysterious death of Pakistan cricket coach Bob Wolmer.

Do we have a Gary Griffith personality type available in the Bajan recruitment pool? Barbados is a small island and makes the job of finding a Gary Griffith personality very difficult given the incestuous nature of relationships. The other question is whether a Gary Griffith type personality would be given sufficient room to operate in Barbados.

We are at the crossroads.

Political leaders from both sides have made political decisions that are coming back to haunt ordinary Barbadians. It is never too late to do the right thing. However, based on the blogmaster’s walk about underground we may have crossed the point of no return. The politicians are hapless how to pull crime back because like the coronavirus it has hopped from the underworld OUR world.

Enforcement is one element on meting out justice. For chrissakes let us TRY to get this appointment right with Tyrone Griffith’s replacement. There is credit at least in making the decision based on merit and not cronyism.

110 responses to “Hunt for Local Gary Griffith to Replace Tyrone Griffith”

  1. Dompey Avatar
    Dompey

    Miller

    It is self evident or at least it ought to be self-evident that I am speaking of the God Jehovah of Christendom.

  2. Dompey Avatar
    Dompey

    Miller

    the dialogue regarding the existence of the Lord
    Jehovah will going on into perpetuity because one players requires empirical evidence; the other player can prove his existence through reasoning and realism; and an other is not sure whether He does or does not exist, so he calls himself and Agnostic and the argument goes on and on.

  3. de pedantic Dribbler Avatar
    de pedantic Dribbler

    @David, a few pedantic items, if u will 😎

    When I read this a few days ago I was trying hard to define who Gary Griffith was as you made no connection in your piece of his identity beyond the inference that he was an expat CoP in a Caribbean island! As I said just a lil nudge .

    (Oh I didnt check but I will guesstimate he is one of those that was in TnT).

    The other piece of really very minor ‘pedantry’ is to you @Mr Dompey!

    Is it laziness or indifference that causes you to continually write sentences like: “You had forgotten to mentioned that..” or “…when Adams was sent to quelled the rebellion in Tivoli Garden…”

    What’s up with this past “participled” infinitive!

    For a guy who spent so much time reading books in the local libraries you surely ‘read’ a lot of new fangled sentence structures into ur daily posts!

    Just saying bro… more power to u!

    Anyhow, to the matter at hand.

    Now @David, I get it that you are inciting debate but your reasoning gotta be a bit more solid than above tho!

    As @Donna said re “No foreign CoP can solve our problems for us” and you then basically reiterated with … “Bear in mind an attack on crime requires a muliprong approach […] What about the justice system? What about stakeholders in civil society participation etc.” !

    So do u really believe that a expat top CoP would be the “extraordinary intervention” you also noted!!!

    Looka, history of those type recruitments has shown that it really means diddly squat UNLESS the entire structural change is part of the deal (as u highlight). Our force members have been trained by all the top centers so for all practical purposes no expat will bring in unknown techniques or methodologies… yes he brings his experience but without an almost carte blanche memorandum for action … wha gine really change!

    If u want to shake up things den get a fella like Lt Col Nurse (or is that Major) and make him CoP … note I said a fella like him (he is too close to retirement himself to take that role now) : a local, highly trained military officer who can come in guns blazing … lord almighty not literally, of course!

    Anyhow, I gone.

  4. de pedantic Dribbler Avatar
    de pedantic Dribbler

    Alright den, I fact checked myself to discover that Griffith was in TnT but was NOT an expat but a local, FORMER military officer.

    Ah.. you duped me into that one Mr Blogmaster… 😎 your piece suggested he was an expat … but then again it also left it up in the air!

    As they say above … I must let Google be my friend more readily.

    Lata

  5. David Avatar
    David

    @Dee Word

    You provided fodder for a hearty lunchtime laugh. You just needed to pause and read the heading of the blog.

  6. Dompey Avatar
    Dompey

    De pantic

    Man looka hear, who really cares about sentence structure on social media? Man go and rest yah old bones or find someting betta tah do, cause nah body en give two flying kicks bout yah sentence structure.

  7. David Avatar
    David

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CQj6VyXo4mn/

  8. TheOGazerts Avatar
    TheOGazerts

    I read this story for the sole purpose of finding a flaw and attacking it.
    https://barbadostoday.bb/2021/06/26/oncology-massage-training-for-therapists/👍🏿

    The story was well written. There was NO promise to deliver more than a massage should/could.👍🏿

    One paragraph worthy of discussion (outside of the scope of the article) was about use of make-up because of skin darkening “Make-up, because sometimes the chemotherapy darkens you about three or four shades than you were before. ”

    This interest was prompted by the general use of skin-lightening products in our community.

  9. David Avatar
    David

    Choosing right top cop vital
    THE ROYAL BARBADOS POLICE FORCE (RBPF) is this week focusing on the renewal of its international accreditation status which we hope will be easily attained.
    However, while that process is important it is not the most critical thing for our police force at this time.
    Eagle-eyed citizens should be paying attention to the appointment of a new Commissioner of Police which is a matter of significant public interest.
    The police force post-Independence has a cherished history of choosing someone to lead it from within its ranks based on merit and over many years good choices have been made.
    While the system of seniority has worked over the years, we are in a season of change, and the tradition of moving from Deputy Commissioner to Commissioner may very well be turned on its head.
    We hope that before any decision is made the process is thoroughly exhausted. The sitting commissioner Tyrone Griffith and one of the deputies, Oral Williams should both be demitting office soon and this is well known to the authorities who must ensure a smooth and orderly succession process. It would be tragic if the appointment of a new Commissioner becomes mired in controversy as has happened with the second deputy commissioner post.
    Barbados must not allow the appointment of the post of Commissioner of Police to descend into the discomfiture and political intrigue that we have witnessed in Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana.
    Our police department has not been without its problems and rancour which is why the public will be watching not only this appointment but others within the senior ranks. Our police service needs stability and confidence among its men and women about its leadership corps if it is to effectively fight and bring crime under control. This is why the Protective Services Commission must not be tardy about the selection and should by now know its choice for the post which Cabinet will have to approve. While we do not expect the process to be done in the public limelight neither should the decision be cloaked in secrecy. The commission’s chairman, Branford Goddard must publicly address the issue on its conclusion rather that the Minister responsible for the Police, Attorney General Dale Marshall. This country needs a Police Commissioner who understands the organisational and operational culture of the RBPF and its challenges. The new appointee must also demonstrate a broad understanding of policing at a strategic level with the ability to introduce meaningful change, and deal with the issues of recruitment, retention and having top-notch investigators.
    The Police Commissioner’s role is a lightning rod that requires a strong professional who will not allow anyone to encroach upon his independence or the sagacity of the RBPF.
    The right appointment is necessary to build trust. The job is not for a novice.
    We hope that before any decision is made the process is thoroughly exhausted.

    Source: Nation

  10. David Avatar
    David

    New police chief ‘soon’

    Neither Attorney General Dale Marshall nor the president of the Barbados Police Association Constable Mervin Grace have any issues with the length of time it is taking for a new Commissioner of Police to be chosen.
    Yesterday, Marshall explained both Commissioner Tyrone Griffith and Deputy Commissioner Oral Williams were asked to delay their preretirement leave in order to completely serve out their time until retirement.
    “The current Commissioner of Police continues in office until his retirement, he will not reach retirement age until November. The Prime Minister and I have had discussions with the leadership of the force and we have all felt it is important to have both Commissioner Griffith and Deputy Commissioner Williams stay on until they reach retirement age.
    October 18
    “We feel the level of skills of these two individuals are such that we want to retain them in the force for as much time as possible. Therefore, we have asked them to stay on – until October 18 in the case of the Deputy Commissioner. There is nothing unusual about that practice, it has happened before,” he said.
    In June, both senior officers were asked to remain in office until the end of last month instead of going on pre-retirement leave. Griffith is due to officially retire on November 11 and Williams on October 18, after serving the Royal Barbados Police Force (RBPF) for 46 and 43 years, respectively. There was some uncertainty and confusion when the men continued to serve and no replacements were named.
    Marshall said he could not give any definitive dates as to the new appointments but said a decision should be made soon.
    Process
    “There is a process that is followed for the appointment of commissioners, chiefs of staff and senior public servants. We have set
    up a Protective Services Commission whose constitutional responsibility it is. It is not a ministerial responsibility to make the appointment of a new Commissioner of Police.
    “So in relation to the selection of the next Commissioner, that office was advertised some months ago but I have no lawful authority or responsibility for the Protective Services Commission. However, my understanding is that interviews are scheduled in the very near future and I expect that in the shortest possible time they will be able to make a recommendation as to who should take over the mantle of the [RBPF],” he said.
    Grace said there could not be two Commissioners of Police so no appointment could be made until Griffith demitted office. He said he understood tenders for the position of Commissioner had gone out and several people had submitted applications.
    Marshall said he felt confident the police would be in good hands for the future.
    “It is not a matter for speculation. We have a significant cadre of fine individuals who currently lead the force and one of the things this administration has taken seriously is the training of police officers . . . something the last administration fell down tremendously on. We just appointed a number of assistant commissioners as well, so I think leadership of the force will be in very safe hands,” he said. (CA)

    Source: Nation

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