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  • 11 months ago
The House of Representatives has approved the Police Service Commission's recommendations for an Acting Police Commissioner and an Acting Deputy Police Commissioner.

However, during the debate - an Opposition MP questioned whether there is a vacancy where the Police Commissioner is concerned.

The Prime Minister referred to the Police Service Commission's own guidelines.

Juhel Browne reports.
Transcript
00:00Prime Minister Dr. Keith Rowley arrived at the Red House on Wednesday to pilot
00:04two motions in the House of Representatives, the first of which was
00:08for notification from the President of the Police Service Commission's
00:12recommendation for Deputy Police Commissioner Junior Benjamin to act as
00:16Police Commissioner. The government is in a very invidious position where if we
00:22say no to this we will be accused of taking sides against this gentleman and
00:28in favor of somebody else. If we say yes to this it will be said that the
00:34government wants this. I want to make it very clear to everybody in this country
00:40on this day, on this occasion, the government is simply discharging its
00:47responsibility for the Police Service Commission to make the appointment that
00:52they want to make, that they recommended to make.
00:54Oropuch East MP Dr. Rudal Munilal spoke on behalf of the opposition.
00:58In looking at Mr. Benjamin, who we have no difficulty with, we ask the question is
01:03there a proper vacancy that the Police Service Commission attempts to fill
01:08based on their own guidance. Prime Minister Rowley read the Police
01:14Service Commission's letter to the President dated January 31st into the
01:19Parliament's official record regarding the Commission's recommendation for DCP
01:23Benjamin to act as Police Commissioner. Vice Miss Olam Herewood Christopher,
01:27Commissioner of Police, who has been directed by the Commission to cease to
01:33report for duty of the Office of Commissioner of Police with effect from
01:3831st January 2025 as a result of an ongoing investigation into misbehavior
01:49in public office. The TTPS has said there is an ongoing investigation into the
01:53illegal importation of firearms. Last week Police Commissioner Olam Herewood
01:58Christopher was arrested on January 31st but was then released without charge on
02:03February 1st and has since taken legal action. And we ask the question today
02:10that we are entitled to ask, is the Commissioner of Police absent from
02:15Trinidad and Tobago? Is the Commissioner on vacation leave? Is the Commissioner
02:21ill? Is there another reason why the Commissioner cannot perform the
02:26functions of Commissioner of Police? Prime Minister Rowley also referred it
02:30to the Police Service Commission's guidelines for acting appointments. The
02:34guidelines went on to say any other. That phrase any other is a catch-all phrase.
02:46I may put it a little more elegantly, it's an omnibus phrase. Thank you my
02:58colleague. DCP Benjamin's nomination as Acting Police Commissioner and the
03:04nomination for Assistant Police Commissioner Kurt Simon to act as a
03:08Deputy Police Commissioner were both approved by the House of
03:11Representatives. Jule Brown, TV6 News.
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