Colin Terry moved from Afghanistan post

Last week I wrote about the quite ridiculous fuss being made regarding Chief Superintendent Colin Terry. He was "guilty" of donning a mask to look like Osama Bin Laden at his local carnival at Grampound in mid Cornwall. Apparently disguising himself in some way or another is an antic he always acts out at this happy charity event.

What I hadn't mentioned in my earlier pieces is that at the time Mr Terry was on secondment to the Foreign Office helping to train police in Afghanistan. Sorry to have omitted that information although I was well aware of it. Sadly, and inevitably, he has now lost that particular job and is returning to the Devon and Cornwall force and a slightly uncertain future. There is a threat of some sort of disciplinary action hanging over him. For heaven's sake, a quiet word is all that is needed if anything at all. Since his arrival I've been very impressed by the Constabulary's chief man, Stephen Otter, and I hope he will be sensible about this. I suspect though his hands will be tied and that he will have to be seen to be doing the 'right thing'.

I had noted before that one of the reasons for the present furore could well be the closeness of the date of the carnival the Saturday before last to the anniversary of the 9/11 attack. Yet my logical mind says that the same 'offence' would be committed on whatever date it took place.

It seems that the great majority of folk at Grampound were totally happy with what Mr Terry did. But it only takes one doesn't it to voice a forceful objection. It's all very sad.