By Peter Green
An unprecedented public feud has erupted between the current Commissioner of Police, Alister Guevarro, and his predecessor, Gary Griffith. Triggered by a scathing voice note released to the media by Guevarro on March 18, the dispute has quickly devolved into a bitter exchange of accusations regarding financial mismanagement, political ambition, and the true state of crime in Trinidad and Tobago.
After enduring what he described as relentless public criticism of virtually every decision he has made, Commissioner Guevarro fired back at Griffith in the leaked media recording.
Emphasizing his own strict apolitical stance claiming he has never voted and holds no political ambitions Guevarro accused Griffith of projecting his own political failures onto the leadership of the police service.
Pointing out that Griffith had lost his deposit in past elections, Guevarro stated that the population had repeatedly rejected him and refused to be drawn into what he called Griffith’s “personal grievances” and attempts to remain relevant.
Instead, Guevarro shifted the focus to a damning critique of Griffith’s tenure from 2017 to 2021, alleging the former top cop left the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) with hundreds of millions of dollars in debt. He directed the media to a Ministry of Finance Central Audit Committee (CAC) report, citing severe mismanagement.
Specifically, Guevarro highlighted audits of the Firearms Permit Unit under Griffith that led to officers being arrested and charged, as well as administrative blunders that resulted in ongoing court judgments affecting TTPS promotions. He cited the 2019 case of Officer Nina Rawlins, who had to win a High Court order for retroactive promotion after being wrongfully bypassed.
Guevarro fiercely contrasted this alleged dysfunction with his own nine-month tenure, claiming a historic reduction in crime. He highlighted a 42-percent drop in homicides in 2025 totaling 369 murders, the lowest since 2011 and a record low of just 19 serious crimes reported during the 2026 Carnival season, all achieved without curfews or lockdowns.
Shortly after midnight on March 19, Griffith issued a fiery rebuttal, initially questioning the authenticity of the audio and suggesting it might be the result of AI manipulation because it was “so reckless, so immature, and so irresponsible.”
However, he quickly pivoted, declaring that if the recording was genuine, Guevarro should be immediately removed for politicizing his office. Griffith dismissed the jab about losing his electoral deposit as irrelevant, noting that Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar experienced the exact same thing in 1991 and Basdeo Panday years before.
Aggressively defending his record, Griffith challenged Guevarro to present actual evidence of the alleged debt, asserting he did not request an extra cent from the government during his time as Commissioner. He also directly refuted Guevarro’s claims regarding procurement, specifically correcting the record on body cameras.
Griffith stated it was $3 million spent for 1,000 cameras, not the $100 million for 3,000 that Guevarro alleged, and he criticized the current Commissioner for auditing five-year-old body cameras while failing to acquire any new ones since Griffith left. Furthermore, Griffith accused Guevarro of dismantling over 100 policies, units, and technologies such as the marine branch and GPS tracking that had successfully reduced crime.
He claimed Guevarro has failed to implement a single new initiative in the past year, relying instead on calls for a state of emergency to “sing for his supper.”
The exchange ultimately became a battle for public trust, with both men issuing stark warnings about the other’s leadership. Griffith targeted Guevarro’s popularity directly, claiming his own public trust sat at over 70 percent during his tenure, while estimating Guevarro’s current approval at less than 10 percent.
He painted the current Commissioner as a thin-skinned leader and warned of a dangerous climate where citizens are threatened with charges for making negative comments on social media. Guevarro, meanwhile, signaled his intent to walk away from the verbal sparring.
Quoting an old adage, he concluded his message by stating that arguing with a fool will only result in being dragged down and beaten with experience, affirming that his sole focus will remain on public safety rather than entertaining further theatrics aimed at undermining the service.
