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The Police Service Commission (PSC) is hoping to submit another nomination for the post of Commissioner of Police to President Paula Mae Weekes this week.
PSC chairman Bliss Seepersad told the T&T Guardian yesterday that the commission will hold its statutory meeting this week. “We are trying to meet and deal with the process as quickly as possible,” Seepersad said in an interview yesterday.
Asked whether there were any other candidates on the list apart from Gary Griffith, Seepersad declined further comment saying there had been “too much” in the public domain already.
Last week, one of the candidates for the post of Commissioner of Police, Wayne Hayde, wrote to the PSC demanding that his name be put on the Merit List.
The commission has been seeking legal action on the matter, but Seepersad declined to say whether any name other than that of Griffith is on the list.
Hayde was one of two candidates originally ruled out by the PSC under the chairmanship of Seepersad because of his age.
Hayde is contending that age was not a factor when the notice for application for the post went out nor was it an issue when he was interviewed on two occasions.
Another person ruled out because of age is Glen Hackett.
So far three nominations from the PSC in the persons of Dulalchan, Phillip and Williams have already been rejected by the Parliament.
Dulalchan and Phillip were rejected on the grounds that they did not apply for the job of Commissioner but of Deputy Commissioner.
Williams was described by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley as a “victim of the system.”
Rowley told the Parliament last Friday “with the best analysis in the world with the best marking of the score, I think we in Trinidad and Tobago must conclude that the fight against crime is not where we would like it to be,” the PM said as he thanked Williams for his service.
The Prime Minister did, however, indicate that “there are others on the Merit List who may find favour with this house.”
Williams, whose nomination was rejected by the Parliament last Friday told the Guardian he continues to do his duty. “It’s all exciting going right to the end of my stay in the Police Service,” he said.
Williams said when you join the service “you stay professional and the country requires that you commit yourself in a professional manner and build it up to the best of your ability.”
But he said, “The Police Service does not stand on its own and that is what sometimes we fail to recognise but at this point in time it’s really all up to the decision makers to make their decisions and they have made their decision so I have no difficulty with whatever decisions are made.”
Williams will proceed on 10 days’ vacation leave in August before going on pre-retirement leave in September which he says will take him to “the end of my working life in the Police Service. I retire on August 7, 2020.”
The acting commissioner declined comment on reports that Griffith may be the next Commissioner saying “I will not comment on who may be chosen.”
Whoever is chosen, he said, “I will have to hand over. That’s how it is in the Police Service.”
The Police Social and Welfare Association has expressed its own concerns about Griffith being selected but Williams said “they have their view point and they are entitled to represent the view point of the membership.”
Yesterday, President of the Association Michael Seales told the T&T Guardian that the Police Service is “demoralised and more than just being demoralised they feel marginalised and maligned.”
Seales said, “You cannot ask an officer to be a career officer and then they can’t reach the pinnacle of their careers, that is really an insult,” he said as he explained that a police officer like any other worker in any organisation “would expect to work their way to the top once they get the opportunity to do so and to take advantage of those opportunities.”
First Division senior officers are due to meet tomorrow (Wednesday) and Seales said “whatever mandate they give to me I will represent their mandate.
He said at tomorrow’s meeting officers will have the “opportunity to air their views on how this has impacted them.”