Lalla: PSC a colossal failure

Delays by the Police Service Commission (PSC) and queries over its process in selecting people short listed for the posts of Commissioner of Police and Deputy Commissioner of Police were yesterday cited by former chairman Kenneth Lalla, SC, as reasons for him to describe the commission as a colossal failure.

Lalla, who spent 14 years as PSC chairman, said the fact that the PSC did not have a full quorum means the process used in the selection of a list of candidates for the two most senior posts in the police service became flawed. He pointed out that it will be the taxpayers who will lose when such missteps take place.

Last Thursday, PSC Chairman Marie Therese Gomes met with President Anthony Carmona and submitted a list of the nominees for Commissioner of Police and Deputy Commissioners. It was later revealed that an officer who applied for the post of Deputy Commissioner was named by the PSC as its top candidate for Police Commissioner. In the days subsequent to this revelation, questions have been raised about the credibility of the nominees for the senior posts. Government sources said they are looking very closely at what is being reported both in the media and on social media.

“There is mass confusion and incompetence at all levels. There is an inability to construe the Constitution properly and those are the basic things. There is no desire to consult with those who could assist,” Lalla said.

He advised people within the PSC to read a book titled, “The Public Service and Service Commissions”, so they can be educated properly about the role and functions of these institutions. Speaking to the importance of due process and adherence to prescribed procedures, Lalla reminded that during his tenure as PSC chairman, then prime minister Patrick Manning asked him to fire former Commissioner of Police Jules Bernard.

“I told him (Manning) that he should submit to the PSC, the grounds for Mr Bernard’s dismissal. The grounds were insufficient and so the Commission did not dismiss Jules Bernard. In order to get rid of me, Mr Manning promoted a constitutional bill in Parliament to abolish the PSC, but I left before,” Lalla said.

Yesterday, former National Security Minister Gary Griffith who was one of the persons short-listed for the post of Commissioner of Police said he is optimistic the concerns being raised on the selection process, can be rectified.

He said he was not too concerned about who is appointed, as all he wants is to ensure that whoever is appointed is the person forwarded from KPMG based on points acquired via the Merit List as per the Constitution and also that the person selected, does not commence duty with clouds hanging over his head.