SENIOR Police Superintendent Wendell Blanhum was yesterday elevated to the post of Crime Chief; while his former boss, Leslie James, now serves in the Office of the Commissioner of Police.Other changes likely to take place will be the shifting of Commanders of the C, D and E divisions — Christopher Griffith, Marlon Chapman and Calvin Brutus respectively. Some changes are also expected to take place over at Traffic Headquarters.

Wendell Blanhum has been serving the Guyana Police Force for the past sixteen years. He rapidly moved through the ranks, with his latest promotion being that of Senior Superintendent at the recent end-of-year promotions within the Force.

Before serving as the second in Charge of the Criminal Investigation Department, Blanhum had attended several training programmes both locally and overseas, including Crime Prevention Policing, Organized Crimes for the Americas, Policing and Management, Intelligence-led Policing, Organized Crimes, Law Enforcement Leadership; and with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, to name a few.

The new Crime Chief also holds a degree in public management, from which he graduated with credit. He holds a post-graduate diploma in development studies, and is involved in the Commonwealth Masters in Public Administration programme, from which he is expected to graduate this August.

Wendell Blanhum had served as the Divisional Detective in the Police ‘A’ and ‘C’ Divisions, and was responsible for spearheading several high-profile investigations. (Leroy Smith)