Commissioner Miller should fire the fireman

Fri, Sept 7, 2012

Editor: All workers, including police officers attached to the Fire Department, have the right to the best conditions of employment that their employers could afford to offer. Basic working standards must be established and maintained.{{more}}

Equally so, rules, regulations and company/department procedures must, at all times, be observed. More so by police officers sworn to uphold the law.

The “police officer” who went public with his so-called complaints of poor conditions of service within the fire department is clearly out of order.

As far as I am aware, there is a police welfare association, the head of the Fire Department, the Commissioner of Police and the Minister of National Security, to whom this officer could have taken his concerns and complaints. If he did not access those channels, why did he not? Is this “whistle-blowing” or a case of a (political) partisan “police officer” being used by irresponsible opposition politicians? Does this “officer” even work in the Fire Department of the Police Force?

I read Commissioner Miller’s response to the SEARCHLIGHT newspaper story, highlighting the complaints of the so-called concerned fireman. As a former police officer (who also served as Secretary of the Police Welfare Association), given the efforts of the Gonsalves’ ULP government to upgrade working (and living) conditions for the Police Department and all public servants, this writer is inclined to believe and support Commissioner Miller’s response to the complaints.

Despite the reference to a “witch-hunt” in the SEARCHLIGHT editorial of Friday, August 31, 2012, Mr Miller now has no choice but to investigate and finger the culprit. He/she should be disciplined for any breach of the regulations of the Royal St Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force. Such disorderly conduct should NEVER be acceptable in our society.

And please do not give me the crap about “rights and freedoms”. Even human rights advocates and activists should refuse to support such ill-discipline and misconduct of any public servants.

Wade Kojo Williams, Sr.
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

Editor’s note: We hope Mr Williams is not implying that SEARCHLIGHT concocted the story referred to, with his question about if the “officer” even works in the Fire Department of the Police Force. We assure him that the person does.