Last night on this newscast you saw Senior Superintendent of Police Chester Williams venting publicly on a range of issues: first his supposed political victimization, and then his being targeted in a supposedly covert and cooked up murder investigation. But while Williams has issues with the department, today the Commissioner told us he has issues with Chester. Commissioner Westby today asked the Services Commission to suspend Williams. He told us that Williams was tampering with evidence – the same evidence that was implicating him in a murder investigation.
Jules Vasquez,
What exactly are the recommendations being made again Mr. Williams and second what actions on his part provoked the high command, the senior command, to make those recommendations?”
Gerald Westby, Commissioner of Police
“Well the action was the alleged threat to another senior officer which is not the best thing if it is indeed so and we have directed an investigation. Two, is the alleged interference by getting the statements and photographs from the investigation which would have been made available at some time. But for you to do that, that manner is not the best thing and I am certain that is probably where you might have gotten it from Jules, I don’t know if it is so. The third thing is that this department is one of the most open and transparent
in terms of working with the media. Mr. Whylie was authorized to give an interview but certainly Mr. Williams was not authorized to give an interview. The thing for him to do was to come to us and say this is what he wants to do and then we would have made a decision. And so that is the grounds on which I am making the recommendations to the Services Commission, because of the breach of discipline.”
Jules Vasquez,
What specifically is the recommendation?
Gerald Westby,
“That he be suspended from duty pending the outcome of these investigations and pending the hearing before the Services Commission.”
Jules Vasquez,
Sir as a senior officer and as someone who has worked closely and successfully with Mr. Williams, how did you feel when you saw him going off on the TV last night?
Gerald Westby,
“Well Jules I saw the interview and honestly speaking I can empathize with him as an individual, as Gerad Westby because he felt hurted but again as a professional I think it is not the best thing for him to have done.”
Jules Vasquez,
Mr. Williams has argued publicly that in fact sending him to PPRI is a demotion, is a defacto demotion, he is not losing his stripes but he is being sent to a job which calls for a lower rank.
Gerald Westby,
“Jules the Department does rotate officers and there is a rotation coming up, he is a part of that rotation. From a headquarter’s point of view, you need to get that as part of your career development – to get that strategic professional development from headquarters.”
Jules Vasquez,
Mr. Williams claims that he is being politically victimized, that’s his direct claim.
Gerald Westby,
“Well I am certain it is not that. I am the person that runs this department and I am the person that makes the decisions and I am making this decision for the rotation of senior officers. Many other senior officers will be moving across the country.”
Jules Vasquez,
So can you flatly that you have not put out an administrative fatwa or an order that Mr. Williams be marginalized or be humiliated or be treated beneath the rank he has earned? You have not done that?
Gerald Westby,
“No certainly and I would not do that given the great officer Mr. Williams is.”
And while Commissioner Westby is suspending this very senior officer – for context we note that he has in the past been a true ally of Williams – most notably shielding him from charges that former DPP Kirk Anderson ordered, among other lesser favours. And what’s next for Williams? Well, he’s not going to take it sitting down. He has retained an attorney, Godfrey Smith to seek judicial review of his suspension.
