(Trinidad Guardian) Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar said on Friday that the four-year process to select and appoint a police commissioner cost T&T more than $8 million and more than 1,800 murders. She said the first process cost $3.4 million and the second one – now on – cost about $5 million. So it’s now back to the drawing board. Canadian nominee Neal Parker has been unanimously rejected by the Parliament for the post of police commissioner, since he was part of the selection process for a commissioner in 2008, Persad-Bissessar also said. Speaking in Parliament, Persad-Bissessar said the process would move on the second and other nominees on the merit list for CoP, until all are exhausted.
She said another nominee for commissioner, who was also part of the 2008 selection process – and any other such nominees – would be rejected as well. In the interim, a joint government and opposition team would review the law on the appointment of a commissioner, focusing on use of foreign assessors/consultants and on whether local talent can be drawn upon to fill the post. The candidate now in the running is Dwayne Gibbs, also a Canadian. Persad-Bissessar’s disclosures came in the Lower House as she piloted a motion on recommendations for a commissioner of police. Parker was the sole nominee.
Recommended for the post of deputy commissioners were Stephen Williams, Maurice Piggott and Jack Ewatski. Persad-Bissessar said that out of the total of 73 applications for the post, only four locals applied.
There are no locals on the list of the first five candidates, she added.
She said a recent meeting with the Police Service Association revealed Parker was a member of the selection team in 2008 which selected a commissioner. “So Mr Parker was on that side of the table in 2008 and in the 2009-2010 process he’s on this side of the table as a candidate,” Persad-Bissessar added. The PM wrote the Police Service Commission chairman Christopher Thomas on Thursday, seeking verification in the issue. Thomas, replying immediately, confirmed that Parker – who was at the top of the current merit list – was indeed involved in Penn State University as an assessor in the 2008 selection process. Persad -Bissessar said legal advice yielded different views on the matter, including that Parker’s participation in the 2008 process did not taint his candidacy in the 2010 issue and also that there were no allegations of bias.
But she said there was also the view that Parker enjoyed an unfair advantage, having sat on the other side of the table as an assessor in 2008. She said there was always the possibility of litigation due to views that the integrity of the process was compromised by Parker’s involvement in the 2008 matter. “We jointly decided to reject the nomination of Neal Parker, having participated in the 2008 process since the public perception of him enjoying an unfair advantage is one that may have some legitimacy,” Persad-Bissessar said. “We cannot delay the appointment of a new commissioner of police, but we must also avoid the possibility of protracted litigation and question marks hanging over a commissioner being appointed in such circumstances.”
Noting the situation’s sensitivity, Persad-Bissessar said:“A new commissioner of police must inspire and restore public confidence in the Police Service. “The new commissioner must not be burdened or distracted with any question marks over his head with questions about his appointment or performance of his duties especially with the war on crime on,” she added. Stating that the present system needed review, Persad-Bissessar said it was costly cumbersome and complicated. The joint parliamentary team to review the appointment process will meet with stakeholders, including NGOs, chambers and religious bodies. The Prime Minister said recent discussions on the issue with Opposition Leader Keith Rowley were cordial and both sides found common ground amid differences.
She thanked her predecessor, former prime minister Patrick Manning for his nine years of service as prime minister and for starting the process of crafting legislation for the CoP issue. The government has also given the Police Service 60 vehicles used in last year’s summits, Persad-Bissessar added.