Prime Minister Gaston Browne chided Deputy Police Commissioner Albert Wade for comments he made at a meeting of the Police Welfare Association last week.
In the comments, which were broadcasted on state media, Wade told fellow officers, “50-something years, we’ve been waiting for stations to be built but if you’d love yourself, you would not be at those stations”.
“We saw a school built over there in months, the former education building refurbished in months, the treasury building on High Street refurbished in months”, he added.
On Saturday, Prime Minister Browne told Pointe Fm, Wade “stepped out of line big time. What I would say here, The national security of a country is sacrosanct, and the success of the police force is predicated on the discipline, the loyalty and commitment of its members to serve and protect the people especially senior members to maintain the safety and security of the citizenry”.
“No senior officer should lose his marbles to the extent that he is prepared to join any individual or group of individuals to compromise the national security of the state”, Browne said.
“The type of impudence we have seen, let me call his name, from Deputy Commissioner Wade, is extremely egregious and I think it’s a matter of national security to the extent that I don’t wish to go any further”, he added.
“One of the things I can recall is a criticism for the construction of the Sir Novelle Richards Academy. Now I say that one of the first things that we did early and bright was to spend a couple million dollars to refurbish the dockyard police station”, the Prime Minister said.
Browne said apart from the Five Island Secondary school, which was repurposed into a university, the Sir Novelle Richards Academy was the first secondary school built since the country’s Independence from Britain to ease overcrowding in schools.
“An asset that will benefit the children of police officers, all of our children for that matter, to help to educate the population in building a knowledge economy and I just cannot countenance how could someone be critical of the construction of a secondary school based on the need at the time. We had students who were literally being tutored under trees sometimes outside in the sun because they didn’t have enough classrooms”, he said.
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Et tu Brutus
Top dawg you have lost it, cussing radio personality is one thing, going after the police officers is another temper tantrum of your. Wow you have hit a new low. Antigua and Barbuda is not a dictatorship the police officers have freedom of speech, what national security you talking about. The idiot that interview you is more of a national security to the country than Wade. That two face, flip flop pancake with his forked tongue. All I will say to you top dawg your ship is sinking. Antigua and Barbuda needs a new leader, the country needs to breathe again.
Totally agree with this one
Where were you when Baldwin Spencer sent home the entire top brass of the police. Where were you when after installing Delano so unceremoniously send her packing and brought in Canadian Mounties to run our police force. Where were you when he then unceremoniously send home the very Canadian Mounties and again looked within. All these times everyone was quiet. No officer stood up to protest about anything. People only stand up to protest when they believe the authorities are weak and do not rule with an iron fist. Perhaps that is Gason’s weakness. I remember Bruce telling Baldwin he has to rule with an IRON FIST. In order to make his power be felt. And that people will not take him likely. So yes I wish is this case Gaston was dictatorial so that these officers would not take his kindness for weakness.
@From the Sideline
Are you for real? You sound so ignorant. Where did you come from? Baldwin’s issue with the police was the belief that the force had become to political. The current problem is that the government will not maintain its buildings and expect staff to work in squalor.
And this condition happened in the last 5 years under the Gaston Brown administration? And you tell me that if you suspect the force to be political you have the right to dismiss the entire top. Just guilty a charged by Baldwin. And you calling Gaston a dictator. Who has offered to meet with the police and discuss their grievances. Who renovated the Dock Yard Branch Station. This government has fixed more derelict buildings than any other administration before. Look at the Post Office, The Ministry of Health, The new CBH building, the new Solid Waste Building the new Industrial Court, The Treasury building now housing the Land Registry. Come on Rome was not build in a day. Even the prison is getting attention
Et tu brute?
Is Mr Wade and the entire police department speaking the truth?
Please visit the stations for yourselves!
National security has nothing to do with basic accommodations.
Gaston is not fit to be PM. I listened to his radio show on Saturday and all he did was angrily and aggressively abuse the Police and accuse them of playing Politics. He is utterly incapable of calmly dealing with the issues that come before him. His first reaction is to jump directly to aggression and anger in every situation rather than trying to understand why the Police are having issues and then try and resolve those issues in a fair and reasonable manner. Police are citizens too and deserve to be treated fairly. Gaston, not everything is a war.
Kids in Five Islands, Grays Farm- Greenbay, Ottos & Surrounding area were very short changed by PM & his Administration also. Mess with Albert Wade Gaston, all eyes are on you. Stay on your Bully Pulpit & continue to exhale your vomit. What a leader you are. Leadership do matter. Clown you are, Clown you’ll remain. Trash will always remain trash.
Now I do understand why some officer’s are so disrespectful to the Masse’s… It’s start from the top…
Wade has nothing to lose.
1 He is confirmed DC
2 Rodney and him are similar age, it is unlikely that Rodney will give up the seat.
3 He has reached is maximum benefits.
4 He will leave as a hero, should they push him out HQ window.
5 wade knows exactly what he is doing. Years of political experience.
The man is a genius.
They should have left him at 1735
Hon.Gaston Browne You are correct. The Deputy Commissioner Stepped out of line. This shows that the Commissioner is playing POLITICS.This is very wrong for His Position. The Deputy Commissioner should know better.
There will always be one who supports the words of a deranged person.
Can the police department include funds under operating costs in their annual budget and use it to facelift their stations OR would the finance minister erase that line item of their budget? All these monies spent on concerts can be used to repair government properties. Can the Police as a law enfourcement agency start investigating politicians on corruptions that would probably get some traction on their stations renovations. Think you guys have the authority USE IT!
Wade is from good stock, a gray’s farm he come from and his late father “Soldier” would be proud of him for speaking truth to power. The tap dawg believe anyone is afraid of his mouth. National security my foot.
No doubt if similar had happened under UPP, you would be singing a different tune. One need not think back too far to remember the forced vacations and the often change of police leadership under the UPP. Recall them thinking not only AB lacked leadership skills but the region hence their decision to bring in Canadians to lead the force. Even they eventually then got thrown under the UPP school bus. Guy if Wade so great why was he not made police chief under the UPP? He got great after 2014?
@Tenman
Why are you always defaulting to UPP? All non egotistic leaders know they need the police to protect them and maintain law and order. Why doesn’t the government repair their buildings? The police is only pointing out the obvious, except to this government. I wish the PM would sometimes keep his mouth shut and correct the problems.
At this time? Would you wait for when someone is facing a crisis to make demands you well know they can’t meet? Will tell you this, we have too many police stations. Its time to do away with many of them. Their presence aids in actually keeping the police from actually being where they need to be (patrolling). Instead too man are at the station being un- productive.
Facing a crisis.What Crisis?
@tenman
A real leader would have acknowledged the problems and the need for corrective actions. Why does Gaston think he so high and mighty that he can threaten the Deputy Police Commissioner for speaking the truth? Is it because there is no money or because of what is considered a priority? Didn’t the give just announce that they will be building a hotel at Willoughby Bay? They find money to do what they think is important to them.
AnyWay the AG announced repairs are being undertaken. I guess they decided to withdraw funds from the hidden bank accounts.
@Jackie, I guess you’re not following the news. Gaston is listening and has taken action. Work has started since yesterday and he has offered to meet with the police. of which the meeting by Zoom took place today. That is a real LEADER. Knowing how to defuse a tense situation. When others are wishing and hoping for an escalation.
If anyone stepped out of line it is you Gaston. Do people in Antigua, including police officers, not have a right to criticize your government? I think power has gone to your head. The people elected you and can throw you out of office. You don’t have a right to threaten anybody because you don’t like their opinion.
How many Police station closed for repair and all now not one nail or a Paint brush don’t go on them, Bolans police station closed over 2 years now. Mr PM not because the police is national security they have the right to speak and a good leader always shouId support the people he leads once he believed that it is right and I think you taking what Mr Wade say out of context for your own Benefit.
This is what happens when you have a police force that has become political stooges and lock up and harass people because certain people say so. In my opinion Gaston is no fool and has the dirt on all of you.
Funny how so many of you hyprocrites ya on the police side. If God forbid and we have another #brucegreenaway on our hand me hope me nah see the same hyprocrites saying #justice.
In other words, you are saying you are now seeing how much a good decision it was to appoint Atlee because Wade spoke out at the meeting. However, if my memory serves me correctly, Atlee Rodney has spoken on ABS’ morning show about the decrepit state of buildings years ago. The reality is whether an officer is top brass or a corporal, whether they publicly speak out or not, NO ONE wants to work in a run down building with no water which happens to be the case at Police HEADQUARTERS. I understand it’s a difficult time for the government right now but if you all were doing what you were supposed to do from the beginning and not spending money on the One Nation Concert year after year, maybe you wouldn’t find yourself in this predicament.
And how much did the pervious adminstration the one between 2004-2014 spend to upgrade the station? Both adminstration are to blame for the police stations looking so but then again the officers included Mr Wade wanted it so because they sit down for years and accpeted it.
It is one thing to speak out on issues that concerns you, but it is another thing to lead rebellion at to demanding action when you know the timing is not appropriate. We re still in state of emergency and that should be the highest concern for the police hierarchy. You need to know when to fight your battle. Many of our derelict government buildings didn’t become so overnight. But yet we wait to protest as Baldwin would call it “at the right psychological time”. I mean if you list the number of old derelict building this government has repaired in the last couple of years it is commendable. It started with the old health building by the post office that is now a wonderful new landmark in town. The post office workers complained and they also got a new renovated building. The police station in Dock Yard, the old education building on Church Street, The old PDO building on Kentish Road. And the old Treasury Building and the new building for the Industrial Court. So I understand the police are wondering when is their time. And so are many more. But one should know everything cannot be done at the same time. Unless you have ulterior motives and want to see how far this government can be stressed. If that is the aim I guess bring it on guys. I would encourage the PM to deal with you just like Baldwin did. Fire the entire top brass. And bring in foreigners to run the force once again. Maybe that is the only language they understand. Rule with an IRON fist
@From The Sidelines You sound like an apologist for incompetence. With all the back patting, you giving the Government, the amount of rental comrades are collecting monthly is a travesty
perhaps you have information you can share rather to make allegations you cannot support. I guess renting from Mr. Ryan is renting from a comrade? and giving Pringle a sweetheart contract to collect dead dogs @$500 a piece is giving money to a comrade. Well I guess we are color blind indeed in the ABLP.
@From The Sidelines. When I was a lad going to school my teacher ms. Jeremiah use to have this on the wall. “He who knows and knows not that he knows” am sure that you know the rest.
I don’t know what teacher sad. Teacher doesn’t have to be right. I know what the Bible said and the Bible is always right
“As a man thinketh in his heart so is he”
How many years Bolans police station was rotting while in use, with officers living in deplorable conditions, then rotted terribly they had to move out and close down the station, and continues to remain in disrepair….the proof is here. The truth hurts, yearsssss and years later.
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