kevon.felmine@guardian.co.tt
Naparima MP Rodney Charles says if acting Commissioner of Police (CoP) Erla Harewood-Christopher gets the job as the substantive CoP, the length of her tenure would be at the discretion of the Cabinet.
Christopher topped the merit list of nominees for the post of CoP.
In a United National Congress (UNC) media conference yesterday, Charles said the party notes that Harewood-Christopher officially retires from the Police Service (TTPS) in May. If appointed, Section 75 of the Police Service Act 2006 makes her eligible for a one-year extension in the first instance. A maximum of two further one-year periods are subject to annual reviews.
“This extension is at the sole discretion of an incompetent Cabinet. That raises the question of executive control over a senior officer of the TTPS dependent on Cabinet’s goodwill for contract extensions. As I said, the party has taken no decision on Mrs Christopher,” Charles said.
He said the Police Service Commission should consider the ages of nominees in the context of a proper succession plan in the future. He said it would give well-performing CoPs at least five uninterrupted years to fulfil their mandate.
Charles also thanked outgoing President Paula-Mae Weekes for “finally efficiently” ensuring that she expeditiously sent the nomination to Parliament. He said the UNC caucus has not yet met to discuss the matter and has no position on the nomination.
“All we can say to Mrs Erla Christopher is that if selected, she should always maintain her professionalism, ethics, and a respectful arms-length relationship with the Keith Rowley executive bent on exercising absolute control over all our independent institutions. Our CoPs swear a sacred oath to uphold the Constitution and the law. That should be their guiding principle at all material times.”
UNC Senator Jayanti Lutchmedial called on the Ministry of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs (MAGLA) to publicise how many malicious prosecutions claims citizens brought against the State and how many it lost by failing to mount a defence. Lutchmedial called on journalists to question the MAGLA but said the UNC would raise questions in Parliament. It will use the Freedom of Information Act or the courts to get answers if initial requests fail.
Lutchmedial said the court’s decision to award nine men formerly charged with murdering former Xtra Foods Supermarket CEO Vindra Naipaul-Coolman was a serious matter because the State failed to defend the malicious prosecution suit where it had grounds for success. She said any claim brought by citizens against the State because they feel unfairly treated was a serious matter. Therefore, if the MAGLA mishandled such a case, she fears for the future of State litigation.
“My heart really and truly goes out to the family of Mrs Nailpaul-Coolman because today, they, like everyone in the country, must now sit and ask themselves if the State cannot convict people after 10 years of them being in prison, are the real perpetrators out there roaming free.”
She also questioned whether the State was allowing criminals to roam free.
On another topic, Lutchmedial said there was a prevalence of the Defence Force, police, and other law enforcement agencies’ paraphernalia and ammunition at crime scenes. She said that when Opposition Senator Wade Made raised the issue in Parliament and called for an enquiry, National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds said it was unnecessary.
“I do not know how any citizen when you are given assurances that this is the storm before calm and you are told that the State is working, but the people who have the mandate to protect you are apparently complicit in the commission of offences. We do not know if the next bullet behind us will come from the Defence Force or the TTPS.”