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And while the ComPol says he's rejected hundreds of applications, there's one in particular he spoke about last night. Earlier in the week, former Minister of Police, Mike Peyrefitte said that when the UDP was in its last months in office, Williams went against a Ministerial directive to issue a license to a certain individual. On Uncut, the ComPol said that that's proof that he isn't a puppet, and added that the person in question had such a long rap sheet that he couldn't, in good conscience, approve the application.
Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police
" I'm happy that he told you that because there are many people out there who believe that Chester Williams is a puppet commissioner or that I do everything that is told to me by my political bosses when in fact that is not so. If I am told to do something and I know it's not right I will say it is not right and I will explain to the minister why I'm not going to do it. The difference with then and now is that when my current minister would ask for something, if it is not right, I will say and he drop it as opposed to before, you can't tell then no because what they want to be done must be done. Well, it doesn't work like that. Issuing of a gun license is a very serious thing. I always think, if I issue a gun license to a criminal and when my police are responding and they encounter this criminal with a lichened gun, and this criminal kills my police, you know how I will feel? And so when it comes to issuing of a gun license, if the vetting is bad, I will not issue it. And yes, the minister then, and I will tell you I have utmost respect for Mike, to me, he was a good police minister, and that is the only issue we have disagreed on because there are other occasions when he asked me to do things and I will tell him, minister I can't because of XYZ and he will understand, but one that particular issue, he refuses to understand. And I said to him then minister I am not going to issue the license because the vetting is bad. I even showed him the vetting, but he was insisting that I issue the gun license despite the fact that the man has been charged multiple times for crimes of dishonesty. The vetting also stated that the man was a member of a gang. He was involved in cattle wrestling and different things. How am I going to give a gun license to a man like that?"
