Should Police Officers have Side Businesses?

Responding to Peyrefitte’s remarks about senior police officers running side businesses, ComPol Williams and his political boss acknowledged that they don’t see an issue with officers having private ventures, as long as it doesn’t interfere with their responsibilities to protect and serve.

 

Kareem Musa, Minister of Home Affairs

“Commissioners of Police, deputies, assistants, even low-level police constables have private businesses.  We are not going to go down a road of restricting police officers from having a business.  Now that business obviously has to be legitimate, they obviously have to maintain their reputation in carrying out their business.  That is what is important, you have to look at that.  If you’re swindling people, I fully agree with you that they should not have a business of that nature and remain police officers.  They should come out of that department.”

 

Chester Williams, Commissioner of Police

“Honestly, if a person wants to venture into a business that is going to be honest and transparent, then there is nothing wrong with it.  I could have opened a law firm and have a law firm running while I am the Commissioner of Police.”

 

Reporter

“That would be a conflict, though.”

 

Chester Williams

“Thank you very much.  That would certainly be a grave conflict of interest.  So I dare not do that. There was a Deputy Commissioner of Police who owned and operated a security company.  You know this, right?  A security company, I believe there is a greater, there is a huge conflict there, to have a security company and to be the Deputy Commissioner of Police.  Nothing was said about that Deputy Commissioner who owned the security company and at that particular time the Deputy Commissioner had control of dangerous goods that deals with hiring and giving license to security guards.  And you know what happened there, I’m not going to say it.  Now, while Peyrefitte was in office, he had a law firm, right?”

 

Reporter

“He said he relinquished his shares.”

 

Chester Williams

“He had a law firm.  And I will tell you again to do the studies, find out which law firm wrote the Portico agreement.  These are things that you must be real about, you know.  You can’t be throwing stones when you live in a glass house.”