Mark Beckford, Staff Reporter

Lewin

Police Commissioner Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin yesterday withdrew his resignation as Jamaica's top cop.

Lewin stepped down as the nation's chief constable on Monday but rescinded yesterday after discussions with members of the Police Service Commission.

"We did not go into why he resigned because we did not believe it was the right thing to do at the moment," said Noel Hylton, chairman of the commission. "When things have settled down, we will try to find out from him what are the most pressing issues," he told The Gleaner last night.

There have been mounting demands for the reasons leading to the resignation of Lewin to be made public.

But Hylton said anydisclosure would be dependent on the extent of the issues that led to the resignation.

He also said the withdrawal of Lewin's resignation was unconditional and that the commissioner was convinced by members of the commission to put his country first.

Full backing

In announcing that the commissioner had withdrawn his resignation, Prime Minister Bruce Golding yesterday told Parliament that Lewin had his full support.

"The commissioner has been reassured that he has the full backing of the Government and the Police Service Commission," Golding said. "He needs to be reassured as well that he has the full support of the men and women of the police force as well as the support of all the well-thinking people of Jamaica."

Yvonne McCalla Sobers, convenor of Families Against State Terrorism, yesterday called for a public revelation of the reasons for the resignation of the commissioner.

"There must have been serious issues which caused the commissioner to adopt such a position," she said. "We don't want it swept under the carpet."

Maria Carla Gulotta of the Jamaican chapter of Amnesty International agreed with McCalla-Sobers.

Yesterday, the commissioner was coy on the withdrawal or the reasons for his quitting.

"No comment, I will speak to you when I speak to you," he told reporters.

Minister of National Security Colonel Trevor MacMillan was in a similar mood. "I can't speak to you on the matter," he told The Gleaner.

mark.beckford@gleanerjm.com