Dear Sir,

It is disheartening to read of the firing of Detective Superintendent Nicholas Pedro from the Bermuda Police Service. Bermuda has lost a top-notch senior police officer of remarkable capability.

I retired some 20 years ago, leaving behind Mr Pedro as a young officer with great potential — unless that potential and his performance had changed since my retirement, but I very much doubt.

I found him to be a bright, intellectual and professional officer destined for high rank — even Commissioner of Police material. We are always wanting to recruit locals with integrity into the police, and here we had a Bermudian officer with great integrity and ability.

Now that the professional standards department has gone this far in firing an officer who was truthful by admitting an omission, where even a demotion in rank would have been harsh punishment, we can after all this time, expense and career destruction focus on the rest of the police service regarding professional standards.

Let’s start with: lack of fitness, shabbily dressed police officers, slouching, chewing gum, hands in pockets, not wearing seatbelts, arms hanging out of police car drivers’ windows, no headgear in public places, discourtesy, etc.

Not on my watch!

JOHN DALE

Retired police inspector

Pembroke

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