Acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams may get another six months extension to his post when it expires on January 31, possibly making it the seventh extension. Williams has been acting as Police Commissioner since 2012, when the last confirmed police commissioner Canadian Dwayne Gibbs resigned.
Under the new process for the appointment of a police commissioner and deputy commissioner the Police Service Commission would have to contract a local firm under the Central Tenders Board Act to conduct the recruitment process, which includes inviting applications for the posts.
This is according to the Commissioner of Police and Deputy Commissioner (Selection Process) Order 2015, which was tabled in Parliament on Monday by National Security Minister Edmund Dillon. It was one of two orders recently approved by Cabinet for the selection of the top police officers.
This has come about after the existing system, which required an international firm to conduct the same work, was described as ineffective for the appointment of the officers.
Asked yesterday whether he was given any notification from the commission regarding the renewal of his post, Williams said he had not, adding he did not expect to hear from the commission so soon. On whether he was daunted by the fact that he may get another extension Williams said he was always a positive person.
“That does not come into consideration. I will continue to do my job to the best of my ability and up to now I have been very successful so far,” Williams said.
In a previous interview when asked whether he was disenchanted and frustrated that the commission was taking so long for him to be confirmed in his post, Williams had said the issue was not one about feelings but rather commitment to duty.
He had also embraced the opportunity to serve again saying: “This is an opportunity that I embrace because it means I would be in a position to serve my country again at the helm of the Police Service and I will continue to improve the organisation.
“The normal person would be frustrated and if I was frustrated I would be out of the service long time.”
Williams also dispelled reports that he was expected to proceed on a year leave. Regarding the spate of murders within recent days, the acting top cop said: “At the start of every year we have murders. From 2000 to now there have been murders at the start of year.”
While expressing his concern Williams said, however, the society had a part to play in crime-fighting. To date there have been 18 murders as compared to 23 for the same period last year. But on the TV 6 morning show yesterday former commission chairman Prof Ramesh Deosaran said people were still afraid to report crimes.
That, he said, stemmed from the fear of retaliation and the lack of a timely response from the police.
“The more responsive a police office is to a citizen’s concerns or complaint that will help fill the gap.
“It will also lead to encouraging citizens to report crime. A lot of people do not report housebreaking anymore.
“I can tell you I have relatives who have suffered that experience, so there are deficits at the ground level,” Deosaran added.
MORE INFO
The Commissioner of Police and Deputy Commissioner (Selection Process) Order 2015, says the firm shall submit a shortlist of suitable candidates for consideration.
Under the law the Parliament will seek to approve or reject the nominees. The Appointment of a Commissioner of Police and Deputy Commissioner (Qualification and Selection Criteria) Order 2015 was also laid by Dillon. That order says the nominees must be nationals of T&T and have a degree from a recognised university in the field of law, criminal justice, criminology, police service management or other relevant degree.
It says the candidate for CoP must have at least 15 years service of increasing responsibility in law enforcement and the candidates for deputy commissioner must have ten years service in the same area. The Parliament will subsequently have to approve the nominees and the appointments made by the President.