Order Paper lists top cop nominees

The Supplemental Order Paper in Parliament yesterday listed the three notifications sent by President Anthony Carmona naming acting Deputy Commissioner Deodat Dulalchan as the Police Service Commission’s (PSC) nominee for Police Commissioner. Of the other two, one also named Dulalchan for the post of Deputy Commissioner and the third named acting DCP Harold Phillip as the PSC’s choice for the second DCP.

A government source said yesterday that owing to all the questions being raised in the public domain about the validity of the PSC which did not have a full quorum of five members, as well as questions raised about its failure to take into consideration ongoing investigations against Dulalchan, the government has the option of scrapping the entire selection process.

Sources also said for Dulalchan to be appointed CoP, his nomination must be approved by a simple majority of the House’s 41 MPs. The same process holds for Dulalchan and Phillip’s appointments as Deputy CoP. The ruling People’s National Movement has 23 MPs in the House. The only Government MP who will not take part in this exercise is La Horquetta/Talparo MP Maxie Cuffie, who is recuperating from a stroke in the United States.

The Opposition United National Congress has 17 MPs. Should the majority of MPs disagree with the nominations of Dulalchan and Phillip, the PSC will have to restart the entire process of nominating people for the posts of CoP and Deputy CoP. The government has spent $3.2 million to hire recruiting firm KPMG, to select a Commissioner and Deputy Commissioners. Twelve people were short-listed for the posts.

The 12 are: Ag DCPs Deodat Dulalchan and Harold Phillip, Ag CoP Stephen Williams, Ag ACPs Mc Donald Jacob, Harikrishen Baldeo, retired Ag DCP Glen Hackett, former minister of national security Gary Griffith, acting ASPs Michael Seales and Anand Ramesar, Insps Naughton and Francis and retired Cpl Wayne Hayde, a calypsonian whose sobriquet is The Watchman.