(Trinidad Guardian) The House of Representatives yesterday unanimously confirmed Erla Harewood-Christopher as the country’s first-ever female Commissioner of Police.
All Government and Opposition Members of Parliament in the House voted in favour of the motion to appoint her, ending in a vote of 36 for, zero against and zero abstentions.
Harewood-Christopher, who has been acting in the position, was recommended as the top choice by the Police Service Commission (PSC) but it still needed to be ratified by Parliament.
Leading the motion for her appointment, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley confirmed the PSC nominated her “as the highest-grade candidate.”
Noting Harewood-Christopher has a very long and varied service coming up the ranks from constable, Rowley added, “This officer is highly qualified and very experienced and therefore, we’re not entirely surprised she would have found favour with the service commission, who would have listed her as the top applicant at this time.”
Harewood-Christopher is 59 years and by law must retire when she turns 60 on May 15, 2023.
However, Rowley noted the law allows for an extension of one year, and following a review, a maximum further extension of two one-year terms. He told the House her imminent retirement did not disqualify her as a nominee.
But he detailed how the Government saw itself proceeding.
On what happens after she reaches retirement age of 60, he said she is a person within the meaning of Section 123 (1A) of the Constitution whom the Police Service Commission has the power to appoint to be CoP. He said if her nomination was affirmed yesterday, the PolSC would be the constitutional body to appoint her as CoP.
“It means the imminent fact of the retirement of Mrs Harewood-Christopher as a First Division officer by the operation of Section 74-2 of the Police Service Act, neither impacts nor disqualifies her nomination or indeed the House voting to affirm that nomination for her appointment, because any further appointment can be done under Section 75 of the Police Service Act.”
He said the President may, in relation to a police officer in the First Division, consider “in the national interest to extend the years of service of the officer after she has reached the prescribed age of retirement and to do so for one year in the first instance and thereafter subject to an annual review for a maximum of two further periods of one year each.”
“That’s the law and those provisions, one assumes, are well known to the Police Service Commission, as they advanced this officer to us for appointment of CoP. We have to assume the Commission is presumed to know her age and be aware of the fact she’ll reach the mandatory retirement age in May 2023 and equally clearly has done so cognisant of the provisions of Sections 74 and 75 of the Police Service Act.”
He said at the appropriate time in the context of her retirement, the PolSC may, on the Cabinet’s recommendation, by conjoint operation of Section 80 of the Constitution and Section 75 of Police Service Act, make a recommendation to the President at the appropriate time for the President to invoke Section 75 in the national interest.
Opposition Oropouche East Member of Parliament Dr Roodal Moonilal told the House he had no problem with Harewood-Christopher’s qualifications.
He said, however, that it was regrettable she did not have any history of crime-fighting on the field.
