Controversial cop on shortlist
(CNS): Richard Brunstrom, the Chief Constable of North Wales who said the legalization of all drugs was “inevitable”, that Ecstasy is “far safer than aspirin” and that prohibition does not work, is on the shortlist for Commissioner of the Cayman Islands, according to reports in the British media. Brunstrom is also nicknamed “the Mad Mullah of the Traffic Taliban” because of his campaign against speeding motorists and is known for his hard stance on teen drinking, claiming that alcohol abuse, particularly by children, was the biggest cause of anti-social behaviour in North Wales.
The chief constable’s prediction that hard drugs would be decriminalized within ten years caused a storm of controversy in 2007, and was criticized by Ken Jones, president of the UK Association of Chief Police Officers. Speaking on the BBC’s Today programme in January 2008, Brunstrom said that repealing the Misuse of Drugs Act would destroy a major source of organised crime. "I’m certainly out of step with the majority of senior police officers, but not all of them."
“…In terms of society, public attitudes change quite rapidly and you need look no further than drinking and driving: in the space of my lifetime drinking and driving has gone from being socially acceptable, almost the norm, to being socially unacceptable. I think that the legalisation and subsequent regulation of proscribed drugs is now inevitable, and I think it’s ten years away, not ten months away."
He also said, "More than half of all recorded crime is caused by people feeding a drugs habit. The government wants evidence-based policy; the evidence is very clear that prohibition doesn’t work, it can’t work, an enforcement-led strategy is making things worse, not better."
According to the Telegraph, he was one of 37 applicants for the £112,000-a-year role of Commissioner of the Royal Cayman Islands, and has made it on to the shortlist of six officers after an interview in the Caribbean.“The islands enjoy one of the lowest crime rates in the world and if successful, the 54-year-old will be able to indulge his passion for sailing,” the Telegraph reported.
Among Brunstrom’s more controversial ideas is a call for fatal car wrecks to be removed with their dead victims still inside to ease traffic congestion. In 2007 he was criticised for using a photo of a decapitated biker in a road safety campaign without his family’s permission. He has also stunned himself with a Taser gun to prove the police device was not dangerous, and broke into his own headquarters at night to highlight a lack of security.
In December 2008, Governor Stuart Jackannounced that the new police commissioner would be selected, not solely by the UK through his office as done previously, but by a panel that will include private sector representatives which will take community input into account.
The position attracted 37 applicants from eleven different countries, including the current Acting PC James Smith and former RCIPS Detective Chief Superintendent Derek Haines. It is anticipated that the successful candidate will take up his or her duties in June or July 2009.
Category: Headline News
His men no longer wear a smart uniform, he had a Gay Pride flag hanging from police hq.
Is this man for real??
?http://thoughtsofoscar.blogspot.com/search/label/richard%20brunstrom
The man has been a complete fool in North Wales, he has made a laughing stock of his men, and alienatedthe general public.
He has very Liberal views on making drugs legal, more for treatment than punishment.
OK treatment is needed, but so is punishment.
He wanted to site a needle exchange machine for addicts in the middle of a town here.
Do yourselves a favour, DO NOT HAVE THIS MAN IN CHARGE OF YOUR POLICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
MAD MULLAH.
I even like that name. MAD MULLAH, It sounds radical, and sends a message.. Isnt that what we need now to cobat crime in Cayman? a MAD MULLAH, twisted hat, rough rider look, three or four collars I say give this man a chance. Right now cayman needs a MAD MULLAH.
You would have to be "Alice in Wonderland" to believe that he would get the job as the new CP. James Smith will become the next CP regardless of who likes it or not. Remember, Stuart Jack owes James Smith, who came to his rescue when the RCIPS was on "death bed" and connected to life support.
Not even Derek Haines was short listed for the position who is locally based and is capable of delivering results to the Cayman Islands community, as he did in the past, despite a "piss poor" budget that him and others had to deal with…….. back then.
Did you know that after the four applicants were shortlisted, one of them withdrew his application and was replaced by aChief Supt. from the UK Transit Authority ????
I suppose the Chief Supt in the UK Transit Authority comes with the elite experience to deal with serious crimes which we are experiencing such as Murder, Robbery, Rape, Abduction, Firearms and Drug trafficking etc etc. How foolish and stupid can the midget be ??????
But then again, the Chief Supt of the Transit Authority might just be perfect to deal with the "Strategic Plan of the RCIPS" which is to deal with so called "Crime" …………… that is, issuing of traffic tickets for expired cupons, missing registration plates, dark tint and fancy colour lights on cars etc etc.
"Give the guy a try! can he be any less credible that the last wimp"
He might be a little better than Kernohan but so would a lowly PC with a bit of common sense.
Do you want speed cameras all over Cayman? You would say ‘yes’ if you thought these cameras would reduce speeding and road accidents / death. Thing is they don’t. They do not reduce accidents or road deaths they are just another ‘tax’.
The man is a joke in the UK Press, do you want him to make the RCIP and Cayman a even bigger joke?
He’s the last person you want in charge of the RCIP he’s not called ‘Mad’ by the British Press for nothing………..
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1043677/Petrol-prices-Jams-getting-worse-But-heres-good-news-Mad-Mullah-Traffic-Taliban-calling-day.html
THREE COLLARS?
I could have sworn I saw four 4.
He reminds me of John Wayne, I thing he would do great. Right now, beggers cant be choosers. Dig his style!!!!!Blessed.
Just had a look at the North Wales Police website: http://www.north-wales.police.uk/nwpv2/en/home.asp . He certainly produces a raft of statistics each month to show how his force is doing (as compared to the few suspicious crime stats that we are accustomed to getting from RCIPS). And we sure could use their detection rates for serious crimes (murder, manslaughter, etc).
Plus, you know what – it’s about time we get someone of his rank who has been fully responsible for running a police service rather than someone who has never been to the top as we have been getting.
And he reminds me of David Thursfield, the last gentleman commissioner we had!!
Oh dear! Your post was great until you mentioned Thursfield. Lovely guy if you were an Englishman who liked to sail. But he was typical of all our past top coppers. Had a mantra. "Give me a huge budget to increase the huge number of cars/cops( the number I would never ever be given in the UK but ..) and I will solve your problems."
Let’s ask the new man-whoever he is- why there are so many cop cars sitting idle at Bodden Town Police Station every day and what can he do to minimise the domino playing there. And all the other wasteful cop stuff that goes on island wide. I think he would be great-hated by our non productive people and those who will think he’s the devil incarnate for even suggesting his liberal views on drugs.
Thursfield was only English CoP that in my view never assumed that he was the ‘Prince’ just because our constitution allows Governor’s to feel like they’re Kings and the RCIPS is their personal possession. Sadly that was the attitude of Kernohan and even the current fill-in.
But yes, his force in North Wales certainly is rated as excellent by the Home Office’s Inspectorate in both ‘Resources and Efficiency’ and ‘Serious Crime and Public Protection’. So yes, you’re right, we might finally stand a chance of not hearing the two most repeated words by senior RCIPS officers – "short-staffed" and "more"!!
I don’t interpret the chaps views on drugs as being ‘liberal’ but rather see them as ‘pragmatic’. I say this because even though alcohol is not illegal and prohibited, two of his strong mantras aresaid to be fighting drinking by underage young people and drunk driving. I think the guy is simply blessed with that rare thing that we used to value so highly here in Cayman – common sense! But we know how uncommon that has become, so it will be a wonder if he survives, and no doubt our loss if he doesn’t. Par for the course these days.
Give the guy a try! can he be any less credible that the last wimp
He seems to be a man who calls a spade a spade!! Wouldn’t it benefit Cayman to have an advocate to take on teenage drinking and driving, to stop the 8 to 10 young people from killing themselves on Cayman’s roads each year? No one is perfect and he at least seems to be a realist. We’ve all heard the complaints and moaning from motorists who’ve been caught in hours long traffic jams due to fatal accidents. Also he can insist all he wants that drugs should be legal, but our legislators will not change the law, so what do we have to worry about?? It will surely be a positive step if we have zero fatal accidents due to teenage drinking, but then again he might really be too forward thinking for Cayman because as Chief Constable he blogs on the North Wales Police website!! After doing an internet search on Mr Brunstrom, the following quote was found on the BBC news website "In the meantime North Wales Police, under Richard Brunstrom’s leadership, continues to be one of the best performing forces in the UK" Isn’t this the kind of person we are looking for to lead the RCIP?
I already love this guy! His crooked hat and all. An old weathered chap from mother. Tea and cocaine anyone? The so called War on Drugs will never be won. Make it legal with standards just like drunk driving. If you snort and drive you’ll be prosecuted etc. Anyone wearing three collars is Cool in my book. Only a few can pull that look off. He reminds me of a 00.
-End
Fear not – could you post in lower case please.
"I say, fight figilantes, figilante style." ???? WTH???
Okay, how hard is it really to learn how to spell???? How is anyone supposed to take you serious if you can’t even string a sentence together??
The word you were looking for is Vigilante….
The last commissioners ‘passion’ was helicopters so Cayman ended up with a helicopter that has never made it here and is rusting away in a corner somewhere at a cost of over $2M.
This guys passion is sailing boats so I am thinking we will now see more police boats!
Looks like the guys driving with blue lights had better watch out, while the drug dealers run West Bay!
Obviously a belated April’s Fool joke.
This guy’s way too cutting edge for us!He probably also believes gays should have access to human rights, so he’s a non starter for Cayman.
The fact that drugs are illegal drives most of the criminality and almost all of the organized crime in Cayman. We are victims of America’s failed war on drugs policy. Legalization of possession of narcotics in Portugal has lead to a decrease in drug related crime (other than possession of course!) The old school thinking does not work. Cayman is small enough for some radical policies to be tried without special interest groups getting in the way. There is enough moaning about crime, now we have some who might do something radical to reduce it. (And a pothead’s tourist dollar is as good as anyone elses!)
Geez…another mad man to look forward to. But, I guess that is what the criminals need. I say, fight figilantes, figilante style.
"…and if successful, the 54-year-old will be able to indulge his passion for sailing,”
Well there you have it. This chap seems to have a passion for ‘controversial issues" as well.
This guy sounds way too intelligent for us.
I’m sure we would be more comfortable with someone who is into astrology or consults the sky gods on matters of policing.
How did he make our shortlist with a progressive mind like that, anyway?
Paging Julianna O’Connor-Connolly-O’Conner-Connelly! Put on your cape and spring into action! Cayman is being threatened by modern thoughts again!
Go get him!
Love,
Shaka Zulu