(Trinidad Express) Commissioner of Police (CoP) Dr Dwayne Gibbs yesterday said he was not pressured by National Security Minister Jack Warner or anyone to resign and has done it of his own volition.
His successor was announced yesterday by the Police Service Commission (PSC) as local Deputy Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams, who will act as Commissioner of Police until the end of January next year.
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar on Monday announced the resignations of Canada-born Gibbs and Deputy Commissioner Jack Ewatski.
She said both men tendered their resignation letters, dated July 26, 2012, to the PSC. The resignations will take effect on August 7.
Following the Prime Minister’s announcement, questions on social networking sites and blogs focussed on whether Government had moved to buy out the contracts of the foreign top cops, or whether they were pressured by Warner to throw in the towel.
In a brief telephone interview with the Express yesterday, Gibbs addressed these questions, saying the decision to quit was his own.
Questioned as to what was the driving force behind the resignations, Gibbs responded that he had “personal reasons”.
Pressed as to whether he was pressured by Warner or asked to resign, he said “No, this was a personal decision.”
Asked whether he and Ewatski would be returning to Canada after August 7, he replied, “Yes, more than likely that will be the case.”
Questioned further on whether he was satisfied with the work he and Ewatski had done since they arrived here in September 2010, Gibbs said, “Certainly, we accomplished a fair amount of work, certainly not everything we would have wanted, but we achieved a lot.”
Both Gibbs and Ewatski had faced tremendous criticism, as the crime rate continued to escalate under their watch.
Asked if he had any regrets coming to Trinidad and Tobago, Gibbs responded, “No regrets, none whatsoever. I am disappointed that we did not get to finish the work which we wanted to complete.”
Attorney General Anand Ramlogan, who is currently in the US, also dismissed yesterday any notion that Gibbs and Ewatski were asked to submit their resignations.
“Commissioner Gibbs is a man for whom I have tremendous respect and he’s not the kind of person who can be easily influenced by anyone.
“Both he and Mr Ewatski have very strong characters and a speedy sense of determination. I would therefore be surprised if anyone were to suggest that they were influenced or coerced into tendering their resignations,” said Ramlogan in a telephone interview with the Express.
“There is a cultural disconnect and to bridge that gap is a challenge that they must have faced. I think they did well and will fondly be remembered by all Trinbagonians as men who gave it their all and tried their best,” added Ramlogan.
Ramlogan commended Gibbs and Ewatski for their hard work. saying they served with dignity and decorum, which characterised their tenure.
“They have laid an important foundation that we can build on. They have opened our eyes to the fact that we are and we must be capable of finding solutions to our crime situation ourselves.
“I am certain that the Police Service would have benefited immensely from the different ideas and management style and leadership, so that we can build the Police Service into a more effective unit,” he said.
The crime situation, he said, escalated under the former People’s National Movement government to such an extent that “it was necessary to think and try something outside the box”, and hence the change in law which allowed for the appointment of foreigners to the top positions in the Police Service.
“It has been an enriching experience for us as a country because we would have been critical of ourselves for not giving foreigners a shot at leading the Police Service,” said Ramlogan.
“Now we know that approach by the former administration may be fallacious. There is no need for an inferiority complex, as all nationals are quite capable and as a nation we must rise to the occasion to defeat the demon of crime,” he said.
