President Irfaan Ali has assured that the selection process for the appointment of a new Commissioner of Police will be done in keeping with the constitution.
“When the time comes for the appointment of a Commissioner of Police, that process will be followed as defined by the constitution of Guyana. There is no need for second guessing. When the time comes for appointment, the process established in the constitution will be followed,” Ali told local journalist Gordon Moseley during an interview last Thursday.
Commissioner of Police (ag) Nigel Hoppie is scheduled to proceed on pre-retirement leave this month end. It is unclear if the process to identify his replacement has begun.
However, according to the hierarchy of the Guyana Police Force (GPF), Deputy Commissioner of Police Paul Williams is the most senior rank after Hoppie. He is followed by Deputy Commissioners of Police Clifton Hicken and Calvin Brutus.
Guyana’s Constitution states that the President can appoint a Commissioner of Police and Deputy Commissioners of Police only after consulting with the Opposition Leader and Chairperson of the Police Service Commission (PSC) after the Chairperson has consulted with the other members of the Commission.
However, this process is likely to be affected by the fact that there is presently no Leader of the Opposition.
In August 2020, Hoppie was selected as the acting Commissioner of Police following a shake-up in the force due to two of its most senior members proceeding on pre-retirement leave.
Hoppie has been acting in the capacity of the country’s Commissioner of Police for almost eighteen months. During this period he was not confirmed neither was there a selection process to name his successor due to the present state of the PSC.
In December last year, Parliament’s Committee on Appointments nominated four individuals to sit on the PSC. The four persons are Ernesto Choo-a-Fat, businessman; Lloyd Mark Conway, attorney at law; Hakeem Mohamed, businessman; and Patrick Anthony Findlay.
In a letter to Stabroek News, which was published on February 19, Retired Assistant Commissioner Clinton Conway recommended that Williams be selected as the next Commissioner of Police.
“I am of the opinion that Paul Williams is a fit and proper person to be appointed as the next Commissioner of Police. He is not a paragon of virtue. He is more academically and professionally qualified and senior to the other contenders. He has clean hands, a warm heart, a cool head and a passion for the job and God,” Conway stated in the letter.
In August, 2020, Williams was sent on 192 days of annualised vacation leave. Reports had revealed that this decision was made to facilitate allegation/s which were levelled against him.
In 2018, he was promoted to Deputy Commissioner of Police by former President David Granger. Williams was also among the nominees who were interviewed by Granger for the post of Commissioner of Police. However, he was not selected.
Williams has over 30 years of service under his belt. Among the portfolios he held were Crime Chief and Acting Commissioner of Police.
