KPMG to appear before CoP committee today

NALINEE SEELAL

MEMBERS of the recruiting firm KPMG, hired by the Police Service Commission last year to help select a Commissioner of Police and two Deputy Commissioners, are scheduled to appear before the Special Select Committee of Parliament at 1.30 pm today.

They will be joined by members of the Police Service Commission (PSC), including former chairman Dr Maria Therese-Gomes.

The committee met last Friday and grilled members of the PSC. The former chair came under fire from members of the SSC during her questioning.

During the sitting Gomes was hard-pressed to answer whether one job competency model was used to assess applicants for the posts. Members of the committee repeatedly asked Gomes whether she thought one competency model could be used for two different posts. Gomes insisted that it was possible to do so.

Asked by St Joseph MP Terrence Deyalsingh what procurement method was used to find KPMG, Gomes said there was an open tender which cost about $3.2 million.

She said the firm helped the PSC to do the actual recruitment and selection of candidates.

There were 54 applicants for the positions, four of whom were ineligible. There were four applications for CoP, 26 for DCP and 20 applied for both positions.

In January earlier this year the PSC submitted the name of acting Deputy Commissioner Deodath Dulalchan and acting DCP Harold Phillip for the position of Deputy Commissioner. The Lower House has since rejected the PSC’s selection and the Government and the Opposition agreed to set up the special select committee.

The committee has been mandated to report to Parliament by March 31.