So, at the top of the news - you heard COMPOL Chester Williams taking some deep digs at his former boss Michael Peyrefitte. That's after Peyrefitte roundly criticized the COMPOL and his minister yesterday for calling a premature and misconceived state of emergency.
Today we got the sense the COMPOL called a press briefing just to clap back at Peyrefitte - probably more for offending his new boss than for offending him.
But, we challenged the COMPOL that the current rash of crime - which, by his own words, is internal gang warfare - may not have met the threshold to trigger a State of Emergency - a crime suppression tool that the PUP has tried to avoid because it was a hallmark of the UDP.
Well, the Compol didn't want to hear that today:
Jules Vasquez
"Did members of a rival gang killed Mr. Banks? Did members of a rival gang kill Mr. Smith? If those answers are no, well then there is no justification the argument can be made for a state of emergency. Yes, there is a significant rivalry, but it is internal. It is not for example BLC versus PIV for example. If that is the case, then there is perhaps justification for an SOE. I am saying that you are talking about internal rivalries, but you are not talking about gang warfare. You are talking about internecine rivalries, not justification for an SOE, sir."
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"You sound like Mr. Peyrefitte and you nearly look like him."
"Lets start with the shooting of the 3 young men from BLC. That was done by a gang rival. Subsequent to that, we had the murder of Banks; from all indication, rivalling gang. Then the shooting of the other young man on Vernon Street - I don't remember the name right now - that again was a rivalry. The shooting of Alrick Smith, even if it is an inter gang rivalry, it is still a gang rivalry. Within that short space of time, we have a total of three, four five six persons shot - two of whom died. All of these persons are from the Saint Martin's area, which shows that there is an intense rivalry within the Martin's area between the feuding gangs. I can't understand that the chairman of the U.D.P. can say that there was no need for the S.O.E., but yet the Leader of the Opposition is asking for police security. If you don't believe that there was a justification for the S.O.E. or that there is any gang rivalry going on, then why do you want security?"
Reporter
"Will that be provided?"
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
"We will provide some level of security to the leader of opposition, yes."
