Who’s ComPol’s Boss?

Who does Police Commissioner Chester Williams answer to? Is it Prime Minister John Briceño or the Minister of Home Affairs, Kareem Musa? That’s what reporters asked Musa this morning in Belmopan. Musa told the media that the Commissioner of Police operates as an autonomous authority, similar to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

“But my point is that you make it seem as though whenever the commissioner speaks or whenever he makes a decision, he has to call myself or the prime minister, which he does not,” Musa told the press.

He stressed the importance of maintaining a clear distinction between political influence and the commissioner’s independent role. He acknowledged that the prime minister ultimately has the power to appoint or remove the commissioner but rejected the notion that the commissioner exclusively answers to any individual within the government. “At the end of the day, we work well, both myself and the commissioner and the prime minister and the commissioner. And so to say he’s answerable to any of us, I think that’s poorly phrased,” Musa said.