Retired High Court Judge, Mr. Don Mitchell, CBE, QC, has circulated a request for signatures to a petition on behalf of just-resigned Police Commissioner, Mrs. Amanda Stewart.
Mr. Mitchell’s wrote in a covering note as follows: “It may be too late, since the Governor has accepted her resignation, but at least she (Mrs Stewart) will get the message that most Anguillians appreciated what she was trying to do to improve and upgrade the police and its service to the people of Anguilla. And, we do not hold a few ill-conceived words of hers to a smart journalist in her home town against her.”
In a separate letter emailed to the people of Anguilla and titled “Keep Anguilla’s Commissioner of Police”, Mr. Mitchell wrote as follows:
“Mrs. Amanda Stewart came to Anguilla as a qualified individual eager to make critical improvements to the Royal Anguilla Police Force through capacity building of officers, policy development and strengthening of inter-agency and community relations. That desire was soon distracted after Anguillians got wind of the article. Though Mrs. Stewart may have used a poor choice of words in some instances, and we may not fully agree with her assessment of the island, this is not reason for asking her to resign. We have all said things that were poorly worded, misinterpreted or offended others at some point in our lives – after all, we are human. The article does not warrant her resignation as she has apologized and is sincerely sorry for all that has transpired. Let us judge Mrs. Stewart on the merits off her work and not by the contents of the article. She was chosen out of a tough field of 15 or 17 candidates. This petition is designed to convince the Governor of Anguilla to reconsider the acceptance of Amanda Stewart’s resignation letter and to further encourage Amanda Stewart to stay in Anguilla and help the island to build our policing capacity.”
Meanwhile, it is understood that shortly after the announcement of the resignation of the Commissioner of Police a number of persons journeyed to her residence to assure her of their support.
