ASSISTANT Police Commissioner Errol Strong will leave his security attaché assignment in Washington month-end to head up the local narcotic division, replacing Superintendent Carl Williams in a move the High Command described yesterday as “routine” force movement.

Williams’ assistant, Deputy superintendent Gladstone Wright and Senior Superintendent Elan Powell, head of the traffic division, have also been transferred with immediate effect. Wright was reassigned to Hanover and Powell to Kingston West.

But Deputy Commissioner of Police Lucius Thomas dismissed reports that Strong’s new assignment was as a result of recent arrests of three high profile drug dealers.

“Let me immediately dispel that rumor. First of all let me make it quite clear that the transfers are routine force movement,” the deputy commissioner said.

He explained that Williams should have been on study leave as of last year, but because of his dedication to duty he set it back for a year.

Williams, he said, would go on leave in September. He said Wright would be replaced by Deputy Superintendent L B Williams-Martin from Hanover, but he was not sure who would replace Powell at the traffic division.

At the same time, Thomas said he was not sure when Wright would take up his transfer to Hanover. “He (Wright) has asked for a review of his transfer, so that’s where it is as no decision has yet been taken,” he told the Observer.

Strong, who is presently on assignment to the Jamaican Embassy in Washington DC as security attaché, term of assignment will expire at the end of the month.