Rumors claiming that Gary Griffith resigned from his post as Police Commissioner have been dismantled by the Communications Department of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service, which clarified that Griffith remains as Top Cop.

The rumor, which was widely spread via social media on Tuesday, comes at a time when there is much public discourse about the TTPS’ handling of several matters, including an incident at Bayside Towers last week in which partygoers were not charged for gathering in a group of more than five people for a pool party. 

Critics of the TTPS pointed out that the group’s handling differed from the “shame game” that’s often meted out to people from communities such as Sea Lots, in which persons are filmed by police and their images leaked to the public, often in vunerable positioning.  

The Police Commissioner dismissed claims that the TTPS practiced bias, saying his officers could not be judged on “who they choose to record.” He accused his critics of using their “perceived bias” to push an “us and them narrative”. 

More recently, Griffith has come under fire for his handling of differences in opinion with Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley, with many calling his behavior unprofessional. 

In a radio interview on Sunday, on the heels of the PM’s public call for the TTPS to exercise the “full brunt of the law on partygoers breaching guidelines” regardless of race and/or social status, Griffith accused the PM of laying blame on the TTPS, pointing out that there was no equal outcry by the PM during election season when campaigning exercises breached COVID-19 protocol.