Retired deputy CoP up for police commission post

The Prime Minister will move a motion in Parliament on Friday to fill the last vacancy on the Police Service Commission.

Retired deputy commissioner of police Vincel Edwards was nominated by the Office of the President, and Parliament has to approve his appointment.

Edwards was the officer who investigated the Day of Total Policing, which saw an unauthorised co-ordinated roadblock operation which shut down the country for several hours on March 23, 2015.

His conclusion ended with no consequence for the hundreds of police officers who took part in the action, which coincided with a stalemate with the Chief Personnel Office over salary negotiations.

Edwards, who is the group legal and technical adviser at Pro-Tec Intelligence Services, a private security company, spent a considerable period investigating white-collar crime.

Concerns had been raised about a previous nominee, Dr Simon Alexis, also a former police officer, who once served as the provost of the Police Academy.

On June 5, Parliament agreed with the President’s submission and added human resource specialist Courtney McNish to the PSC.

The vacancies arose after the terms of office of retired Commodore Anthony Franklin and attorney Martin George expired.

The PSC has authority to appoint people to hold or act in the office of commissioner and deputy commissioner of police; make appointments on promotion and to confirm appointments; remove from office and exercise disciplinary control over people holding or acting in the offices of CoP or DCP; and to monitor the efficiency and effectiveness of the discharge of their functions.

It also has the responsibility to prepare an annual performance appraisal report for the CoP and DCPs as well as to hear and determine appeals from decisions of the CoP in relation to appointments on promotions or as a result of disciplinary proceedings brought against a police officer appointed by the CoP.