SENIOR Superintendent Wendell Blanhum who was Crime Chief when he left for a period of leave, has been temporarily reassigned as Deputy Commander of ‘A’ Division (Georgetown/East Bank Demerara), police confirmed.

He will be working under Assistant Commissioner of Police, Marlon Chapman who is the commander. Assistant Police Commissioner Paul Williams who was Commander of “B” Division (Berbice) will continue to act as Crime Chief.

In September, acting Commissioner of Police David Ramnarine stated “Blanhum requested to proceed on another short period of annual vacation leave which was approved, taken into account that it was again deserved, and that he, as well as other Senior Officers, will have to resume duty in time for the commencement of the Police’s Christmas period. A period where the intensification of operational and preventive law enforcement strategies are paramount.”

The Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the alleged plot to assassinate President David Granger had called for Blanhum to be replaced, citing poor leadership and questioning his role in the successes in solving crimes under his watch.
The Paul Slowe-led CoI chided Blanhum for his failure to properly supervise the investigation though so instructed by the acting commissioner; for allegedly lying to Ramnarine; not conducting due diligence on a report containing factual errors sent to the National Security Council (NSC); neglect of duty; and insubordination. “… Blanhum should be replaced as crime chief and reassigned in order to gain command experience,” the report recommended.

Blanhum was the first person in the Guyana Police Force (GPF) to receive information in relation to the plot to assassinate the President. He received a call from the Ministry of Public Security informing him that Andriff Gillard made the allegation on March, 29 this year.

President Granger had indicated that the Commission of Inquiry had exposed serious deficiencies and weaknesses in the Force, and these will be corrected. He had noted that the CoI was not meant to be a witch-hunt but work has to be done to ensure that the law enforcement agency is more professional and efficient in the execution of its duties and responsibilities. “[The Commission] made some very strong recommendations.

Even persons who have been following the day-to-day reports would have realised that there has been a significant lapse in professionalism at the high levels of the Guyana Police Force, so these are matters of concern. It has brought to light some serious deficiencies and I am very confident that the work that Mr. Russell Combe is doing will point to ways in which we can correct the deficiencies. The important thing is to ensure that we get information so that we can correct faults. It is not a witch-hunt. We are trying to make the law enforcement agencies more efficient,” he said.

Combe is a British security expert, who is an advisor to President Granger as part of the United Kingdom’s US$4.7B Security Sector Reform (SSR) Programme, which had been scrapped by the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) Administration in 2009. He is expected to produce an initial interim report shortly.