SENIOR SUPERINTENDENT Reneto Adams of the Jamaica Constabulary, ever ready to court dubious popularity, seemed to have grown drunk over the years on the over-exposure the media have given him.
At the drop of a hat he expounds, more often than not, well out of his area of competence, declaiming on issues ranging from the origins and objectives of the United Nations to crime-fighting, of which he has set himself up as achiever par excellence a claim for which there will be backers and detractors.
He has become nauseatingly garrulous since Commissioner Francis Forbes in May 2003, sidelined him and disbanded the Crime Management Unit he led, as it was deemed not to have been fulfilling its mandate. Apparently embarrassed by this deflation of ego, SSP Adams has not lost a moment to keep himself on centre stage, even at the expense of criticising his colleagues in the Jamaica Constabulary in a manner that can only undermine the morale of the police service.
Indeed, to put a benign face on it, SSP Adam's tirades call to mind the proud mother pointing to her son during the passing-out parade for scores of soldiers and remarking that he was the only one in step.
SSP Adams has definitely overstepped his bounds this time, we think, by describing members of the Police High Command as "total failure" and likening them to being just as "dangerous as the common criminals."
Rule 3.9 of the Police Book of Rules is clear:
"A member shall not, without the consent of the Commissioner of Police, publish or communicate to the press or any unauthorised individual, any matter pertaining to the Force or any other matter in which such an individual is involved."
But ever so often Senior Supt. Reneto Adams has breached this rule, with seeming impunity.
Far be it for anyone to deny SSP Adams his freedom of speech, but it is time that he be made to respect the disciplinary strictures of his organisation and be reminded that "Be you ever so high" SSP Adams, "the law is above you".
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