Constable Leroy Kerr has been charged for scamming $175,000 in fuel from the Police Department and reports are that the figure may be well over $200,000. And while we've told you how he allegedly did it, which is by selling police fuel orders to private citizens, the question now is how did Leroy Kerr get away with it? Perhaps the man best suited to answer that question is Kerr's former boss, Assistant Commissioner of Police Crispin Jeffries. He's hasn't commented on it, but at the Police Press conference today, Jeffries' Deputy and now his successor Allan Whylie said he didn't know about it. But upon taking over Eastern Division, it was Whylie who blew the whistle. He said he saw what the department missed for six straight months - an extraordinary increase in the fuel bill.
Allan Whylie, Eastern Division Boss
"We had some concerns in terms of the increase in the bill and we had asked the unit commander to verify the runs that they had made and it was as a result of those checks being made that we realized that something illegal had taken place."
Keith Swift,
How come the previous Commander didn't know or suspect something was going on?
Allan Whylie,
"Fair question, I was the deputy commander at the time and I wasn't aware of anything taking place. I am certain that Commander, that if he had been aware of, he would have done something about it. As soon as it was brought to my attention, we did something about it.
The system that was in place was that the officer (PC Leroy Kerr) was the alternate fuel attendant and therefore he had access, access in terms of the required paperwork that would be utilized and it was as a result of him having access that the system was breached. When I say alternate, there is a specified person who is the fuel attendant for the police but because of the fact that there is so many man hours that people work, there is need for days off, time off, and people are ill. There has to be an alternate and the officer, PC Kerr, was the alternate.
It is a pity that it took so long for us to recognize but we are putting systems in place to try to ensure that there is not a reoccurrence. t again like I've said, it is human beings we are dealing with and some people are weaker than others."
As Whylie mentioned, Kerr was the alternate fuel attendant is believed he worked in collusion with attendants at the 1-Stop Shell Gas Station in Belize City. A couple of shell employees were detained but they weren't charged. Information suggests that they will testify against Kerr in exchange for immunity. The gas station at the middle of the scam is Shell 1-Stop; it today sent out a release saying that managers are cooperating fully with the Police Department.
