Prime Minister Hon. Dean Barrow has announced that as of next month there will be a new Commissioner of Police.
The announcement came at the P.M.’s quarterly press conference held on Wednesday April 22. He explained that government has been in negotiations with the current Commissioner Gerald Westby for his early retirement and for current Assistant Commissioner of Police Crispin Jeffries to take his place. The move will happen next month. Along with that change, there will be a “strengthening of the senior managerial ranks” with a number of new assistant commissioners of police being appointed to “strengthen the organizational effectiveness” of the police department. The changes, says the Prime Minister, is also in line with the Harold Crooks Report.
Jeffries will be given a one year contract and the new assistant commissioners will be appointed on an acting basis and will only be confirmed depending on their performance. These assistant commissioners will also have to compete by way of performance for the deputy commissioner position since the current Deputy Allan Whylie will take over as the Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of National Security.
The moves are being done in an effort of “preparing a new cadre to occupy the upper echelons of the department.” At the end of the month the names of the newly promoted officers will be announced by the Ministry of National Security.
