Burnett Renews Call for Police Accountability Board as Families Wait for Justice

Retired Assistant Commissioner Renews Call for Police Accountability Board Amid Transparency Concerns

Retired Assistant Commissioner of Police Nuffield Burnett has renewed his call for the creation of a Police Accountability Board, warning that unresolved cases and a lack of transparency are undermining public trust in law enforcement.

Speaking at a United Progressive Party town hall, Burnett said residents often cannot tell whether investigations into serious crimes — including suspicious deaths — are being pursued. That uncertainty, he argued, is damaging confidence in the police and justice system.

“The thing is whether or not an investigation is even happening,” Burnett said. “We don’t even know. And those are areas for accountability. That’s why I’ve been calling for a police accountability board. That is one of the ways you can hold law enforcement, police in particular, accountable, because how else are you going to do it?”

Burnett pointed to cases where families have waited months, sometimes years, for updates, only to be met with silence. He noted that in the absence of clear timelines or public reporting, relatives of victims are left to conclude that cases have been “swept under the rug.”

He said this silence not only compounds the suffering of families but also creates fertile ground for rumors, speculation, and distrust — conditions that further weaken the bond between the public and the police.

Burnett argued that while frontline officers face resource shortages, accountability must also extend up the chain of command. Without independent oversight, he said, systemic issues such as poor communication, mismanagement, or neglect can persist unchecked.

The proposed Police Accountability Board, he suggested, would act as an impartial body to scrutinize police actions, review investigations, and provide the public with assurance that cases are being handled properly.

Burnett’s remarks came during a wider discussion about crime and governance, where panelists linked rising violence to failures of planning and coordination at the national level. His intervention stood out for grounding those concerns in the lived experiences of families who have been left waiting for answers.

For Burnett, the establishment of a Police Accountability Board is not just about oversight — it is about rebuilding public trust. “People are asking for information as it relates to crimes, as it relates to what’s happening in the country, and things are quiet and silent,” he said. “Accountability has to start from the top and flow through all levels.”

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