- 8 months ago
Erla Harewood Christopher has been reinstated mere days before her term in office comes to an end. What then would or should be the next step? Well to help us answer that question and understand the process of selecting a Police Commissioner is Former Police Service Commission Member and IR/HR Expert Courtney McNich.
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00:00let's head back to our top story now earlier here with Christopher has been reinstated mere
00:06days before her term in office comes to an end what then would or should be the next step well
00:13to help us answer that question and understand the process of selecting a police commissioner
00:18is former Police Service Commission member and IR HR expert Courtney McNeish good evening Mr
00:25McNeish thank you for joining us on the TV6 news good evening and thank you for inviting me mr
00:32McNeish the top cop has three more days in office can she possibly get an extension and what would
00:39that entail there's no provision in the regulations approved by the Parliament for the recruitment of
00:49a police commissioner that speaks to an extension of time of the contract of employment for the
00:59police commission there are you hearing me yes I'm hearing you thank you okay sorry yeah there's no
01:10provision for an extension of time so given my understanding of the regulations and the requirements
01:16it appears to me that the former acting commissioner of police upon the expiry of the Miss Christopher's
01:28contract as commission would have to be appointed to act as commissioner until the police service
01:36commission will see the normal process of recruiting a new commissioner of police those are the steps that
01:48that my understanding of the recognition require Mr McNeish we have to head to a break we'll be right back
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05:06welcome back to the TV6 news
05:12before we went to a break we were chatting with Mr. Courtney McNeish
05:16who is a former police service commission member and IRHR expert
05:21and we were speaking to him about the reinstatement of police commissioner
05:25Urla Hayward Christopher
05:26thank you for joining us once again Mr. McNeish
05:29thank you
05:31so can you tell us what are your thoughts on the handling of the investigation into Mrs. Hayward Christopher
05:38I see it as a conversion of a whole lot of unfortunate events
05:44the country was shocked
05:46in January 30th when it was announced
05:49it came into the public domain
05:50now mind you I have no insights
05:52no other insights
05:53no other insights
05:54into this issue
05:55apart from those that were published
05:58or in the public domain
05:59on January 30th when she was arrested
06:04on
06:06right after that
06:08police services commission
06:11actually instructed her to cease reporting for duty
06:16or in fact suspended her from duties
06:19and made a recommendation to the president
06:22for an acting commissioner to be appointed
06:28what is amazing over the last couple of days
06:31on the 10th I saw the deputy of
06:34sorry the director of public prosecution
06:37Mr. Casper put out a public statement in a press release
06:41saying that in his respective view
06:46there is very little prospect of success of a conviction
06:50of any charges against commissioner Cooks
06:53he laid out in his clear terms
06:58what were the standards required for the evidence
07:02to bring a successful prosecution
07:04and he said clearly
07:06that the evidence did not rise to that standard
07:10nothing in the evidence suggested corruption
07:13nothing in the evidence suggested even a mistake
07:16and he made it clear that if I am that
07:19empowered the commissioner of police
07:23to sign that commission for those two rights
07:25what is amazing and resulting to me
07:28is that this was not these two weapons
07:31was not being required for a type of citizen
07:34it was being purchased for a national security
07:39while the SSA
07:41who in my view
07:43are entitled to have to hold such weapons
07:46whether it is for practice
07:48or for whatever reason
07:50so right after Mr. Casper's statement
07:54the very next day
07:56the police commission
07:58rescinded its letter of suspension
08:04and which allowed the commissioner
08:07to report security today
08:10my question is very simple
08:13why was the nation placed in a position
08:17of trauma
08:19that went straight to the heart of public trust
08:22not only in the office of the commissioner
08:25but to provide a
08:27for the service by her arrest
08:31why couldn't the investigation
08:34continue
08:36and then get advice
08:38from the director of court
08:40and prosecution
08:41whether it was sufficient
08:42to arrest, charge, and prosecute
08:46well the police association is asking
08:49for the existing merit list
08:51to be honored
08:52as we move forward
08:53should it be and why?
08:55there's nothing wrong with the existing merit list
09:01to be again presented to the president
09:07and should again to be put before parliament
09:13for the recruitment selection of the motion
09:17of a new commissioner police
09:20there will be nothing wrong with that
09:22once the process
09:24and the procedural steps
09:26that identified in the regulations
09:28were observed
09:29and the merit list existed
09:31the merit list
09:33the merit list
09:34has a life span
09:35that is defined in the regulations
09:37so once the merit list
09:39is still alive
09:40as it were
09:41then there's nothing wrong
09:42with going back to the merit
09:44to that merit list
09:45to make a selection
09:47for commission of police
09:48well do you think that anything
09:50can be improved
09:51in this entire selection process?
09:54I made some statements on this
09:57and there are so many things
09:59that worry me about this process
10:01so burdensome and cumbersome
10:03why is it that only the commission of police
10:06needs to go to the president
10:08as your recommendation
10:10and then for parliament approval
10:12why not the head of the defense force?
10:15why not the commission of prisons?
10:17why not the head of fire scene?
10:19why is it only the commissioner of police?
10:24somebody needs to answer that for me
10:26before I come to terms with this rationale
10:30the regulations also limit
10:34the scope of the police service commission
10:37in sourcing suitable countries
10:40because you must be a citizen of Toronto
10:43I find that to be extremely limiting
10:47since the succession pool
10:49is so very small as it is
10:51why can it not be extended
10:53to the citizens of CARICOM?
10:57why can't we not look at fire scene?
11:00and there are several other issues
11:02that impact the recruitment
11:04so how did it work when we had Dwayne Gibbs
11:06about 10 years ago plus?
11:09it was more than 10 years
11:11yes, 2010, 2011 or around there
11:14yeah, yeah, yeah
11:15well you see it was after the win
11:18Gibbs
11:19debacle or episode
11:22the regulations were amended
11:24the limit
11:25yeah, yeah, yeah
11:26so before that
11:27you could have probably
11:28put the commissioner of police
11:30somewhere in the world
11:31now you must be a citizen of Trinidad and Tobago
11:34and I find given the structure of the police service
11:38given the officers and the ranks
11:41for which the police service commission is responsible
11:44exercising oversight over their performance
11:47the succession pool from which
11:49a commissioner can be selected
11:51is far too limited
11:53it's far too limited
11:55so it's either we expand that succession pool
11:58or we expand the geographic area
12:02in which we can source the candidates for this job
12:05so what do you think should be required
12:07of the next person holding the post of TopCorp?
12:10that's a very interesting question
12:14listen
12:16trust in the police service
12:20is absolutely essential
12:23for the effectiveness
12:26and for achieving, in my view
12:30they need a level of time reduction
12:33without the public trust
12:36people will not go to the police
12:38and say
12:39I have seen XYZ
12:41and give information
12:42and that
12:43that among other things
12:45will account
12:46in my view
12:47for the very
12:48low crime detection rates
12:51in this country
12:52I think the whole issue
12:56are effective leadership
12:58brings trust
13:00trust
13:01trust from the public
13:02trust from among the ranks
13:03of the police service
13:05and
13:06once that
13:07once that is
13:08begins to
13:09to increase
13:10you find that the general
13:12rank and file
13:13police service
13:14there will be greater levels of
13:16empowerment
13:17and their efficiency
13:18and effectiveness
13:19well thank you very much
13:22Mr. McNeish
13:23for joining us tonight
13:24and sharing your expertise
13:25with us
13:26thank you very much
13:27have a good evening
13:28same to you
13:30you're watching the TV6 News
13:31we'll be right back
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