“There’s going to be a new commissioner of police.” That’s a story that’s been winding through the rumour mill for weeks, but it had been bubbling underground until The Reporter headlined it today as imminent. According to the newspaper, it will happen after the Easter holidays, when Commissioner of the last four years Gerald Westby will be replaced by Assistant Commissioner Crispin Jeffries.
We contact a pair of senior government functionaries today and neither would confirm the story, but neither of them denied it. As for Commissioner Westby, who’s been in the job for the past four years and has over a year to go before he retires, he told us he hadn’t heard anything officially but has heard rumours. Westby said he is aware he serves at the wishes of Cabinet and was prepared to go if that is the decision.
And if it is, it is far reaching. The reports are that it would also involve the promotion of Superintendents Elodio Aragon and Noel Leal who would leapfrog ranks from Superintendents to Assistant Commissioners. And while that is administrative, operationally at this point it is unclear how changing command will curtail the pervasive crime culture – particularly armed assaults which spiked sharply in the first quarter of the year.
