Deputy CoP search starts over

JULIEN NEAVES AND SHANE SUPERVILLE

NATIONAL Security Minister Stuart Young has reported that the order of merit list for the post of deputy commissioner of police has expired and the process will have to start over.

He was responding to an urgent question in the House yesterday from Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal on when Parliament will debate the nomination by the President for the appointment of a deputy commissioner, given that an order of merit list has a life of a year.

Young responded that the list had expired on January 23.

Moonilal replied, "Thank you, minister, for clarifying that the order of merit list was allowed to expire before Parliament debated it (and) the nominations.

"What, minister, do you expect to happen now since that merit list has expired without Parliament addressing the appointment? What is the next step?"

Young said there will be a new process and it will start over.

In January last year, chairman of the Police Service Commission Marie Therese Gomes sent a list of applicants who qualified for the post of deputy commissioner. ACP Deodat Dulalchan appeared first, followed by Harold Phillip, Harikrishen Baldeo, president of the Police Social and Welfare Association Insp Michael Seales, Supt Mc Donald Jacob and Insp Andre Norton.

Yesterday Newsday asked Dulalchan and Seales to comment on the process having to be repeated.

Dulalchan said: "All through the stages, I never commented and I won't comment until the service commission indicates something to me, so I don't know and I can't say."

Seales responded: "One of the things I'm concerned about is there is no official statement as to what exactly is going on.

"For me to comment would be to comment prematurely. I will give further consideration when an official statement is made."

Seales also said he wasn't certain who would have to make the official statement, whether it was the Police Commissioner of the Police Service Commission.

"For anything to happen, the Government has to make their position known and the Police Service Commission must make their position known as to what is to happen with the list."

Dulalchan had been recommended last year for the Police Commissioner's post which Government rejected, approving former national security minister Gary Griffith as the top cop.