[UPDATED] SORT head, two others nominated for DCP

From left, Acting DCP Mc Donald Jacob, Insp Mark Hernandez and Supt Andre Norton
From left, Acting DCP Mc Donald Jacob, Insp Mark Hernandez and Supt Andre Norton

The Police Service Commission has completed its shortlist of candidates to fill the three vacancies for the positions of Deputy Commissioner of Police.

The names of head of the Special Operations Response Unit Insp Mark Hernandez, acting DCP McDonald Jacob and Supt Andre Norton have now been forwarded to Parliament by the Office of the President for approval.

A supplemental order paper posted on the Parliament website on Friday listed the candidates.

On December 20 last year Newsday reported that Hernandez was among the candidates shortlisted by the commission.

Hernandez, who heads one of the elite tactical units in the service, was among more than 20 people who applied for the position. A former homicide officer who worked closely with then commissioner of police James Philbert, Hernandez is a successful businessman. He is a senior security adviser of the MH Tactical Response Group, which has several subsidiaries, including the New Order Security Services and Corporate Asset Protection, runs its own shooting range at Chaguaramas and sells guns.

Hernandez was hand-picked by Police Commissioner Gary Griffith in 2018 to lead a specialised group of officers, based at Camp Cumuto, to go after hardened gangsters, kidnappers and human traffickers.

Members of his unit are currently under investigation by the Police Complaints Authority for the deaths of two suspects while in custody for the kidnapping and murder of Andrea Bharatt.

Jacob, who has been acting as DCP (Intelligence and Investigations), is a career police officer. Norton is in charge of the Police Academy and has over three decades of law-enforcement experience.

Norton holds a master’s degree in applied criminology and police management from the University of Cambridge, a master’s degree in information systems management and a bachelor’s degree in computing both from the University of Greenwich. He is a Microsoft certified systems engineer with several other ICT certifications in the areas of network security, computer forensics and cyber security. He has over three decades of law enforcement experience.

Jacob, who has 39 years service, holds a master's degree in criminology and criminal justice from the University of the West Indies and a bachelor's degree in law. He is also a certified mediator and one of the first intelligence analysts of the service. He spent the bulk of his career, 24 years, as a detective in the San Fernando district and was instrumental in the transformation of the service in 2005. He was one the first managers of the Crime and Problem Analysis Branch.

In the past he has been voted as best-performing divisional commander when he took charge of the crime-ridden Northern Division in 2016. He has been acting as a DCP for the past year.

Hernandez has a bachelor's degree from the University of Leicester in security and risk management and a master's from Anglia Ruskin University in leadership, entrepreneurship and innovation.

Once approved by Parliament, the candidates are expected to sign three-year contracts for the position of deputy commissioner of police.

Leader of Government Business Camille Robinson-Regis said on Friday that the debate on the nomitation of Jacob, the first candidate for the post of DCP, will take place on March 19 when the House of Representatives reconvenes.

The process

In 2015, Parliament approved an amendment which reduced the required years of experience as a law-enforcement officer from 12 to ten for candidates for deputy commissioner

When the commission issued the notice in early August, over 20 applications were submitted for the three vacancies of Deputy Commissioner – Operations; Intelligence and Investigations; and Tactical, Specialised and Support Services. They included several senior officers from the ranks of assistant commissioners, senior superintendents and superintendents.

The commission was expected to receive its final list of recommendations by the end of December before producing an order- of-merit list and submitting it to President Paula-Mae Weekes, according to the procedure set out in Section 123 (2) and (3) of the Constitution.

A recruitment firm, after a "rigorous assessment process," was then expected to submit the names of the top five candidates to the commission.

The commission then submits the name of the highest graded candidate to the President, who in turn forwards the name to Parliament for approval.

If Parliament does not approve the top-ranked candidate, it will move on to the next in line, as was done in 2018, when current CoP Gary Griffith was appointed.

An amendment in the law provided for any officer in the second division from constable to inspector, once he or she satisfied the qualification and selection criteria, to apply to be CoP or a DCP.

This story has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

The Police Service Commission has completed its shortlist of candidates to fill the three vacancies for the positions of Deputy Commissioner of Police.

The names of head of the Special Operations Response Unit Insp Mark Hernandez, acting DCP McDonald Jacob and Supt Andre Norton have now been forwarded to Parliament by the Office of the President for approval.

A supplemental order paper posted on the Parliament website on Friday listed the candidates.

On December 20 last year Newsday reported that Hernandez was among the candidates shortlisted by the commission.

Hernandez, who heads one of the elite tactical units in the service, was among more than 20 people who applied for the position. A former homicide officer who worked closely with then CoP James Philbert, he is a successful businessman. He is a senior security adviser of the MH Tactical Response Group, which has several subsidiaries, including the New Order Security Services and Corporate Asset Protection, runs its own shooting range at Chaguaramas and sells guns.

Hernandez was hand-picked by Police Commissioner Gary Griffith in 2018 to lead a specialised group of officers, based at Camp Cumuto, to go after hardened gangsters, kidnappers and human traffickers.

Members of his unit are currently under investigation by the Police Complaints Authority for the deaths of two suspects while in custody for the kidnapping and murder of Andrea Bharatt.

Jacob, who has been acting as DCP (Intelligence and Investigations), is a career police officer. Norton is in charge of the Police Academy and has over three decades of law-enforcement experience.

The process

In 2015, Parliament approved an amendment which reduced the required years of experience as a law-enforcement officer from 12 to ten for candidates for deputy commissioner

When the commission issued the notice in early August, over 20 applications were submitted for the three vacancies of Deputy Commissioner – Operations; Intelligence and Investigations; and Tactical, Specialised and Support Services. They included several senior officers from the ranks of assistant commissioners, senior superintendents and superintendents.

The commission was expected to receive its final list of recommendations by the end of December before producing an order- of-merit list and submitting it to President Paula-Mae Weekes, according to the procedure set out in Section 123 (2) and (3) of the Constitution.

A recruitment firm, after a "rigorous assessment process," was then expected to submit the names of the top five candidates to the commission.

The commision then submits the name of the highest graded candidate to the President, who in turn forwards the name to Parliament for approval.

If Parliament does not approve the top-ranked candidate, it will move on to the next in line, as was done in 2018, when current CoP Gary Griffith was appointed.

An amendment in the law provided for any officer in the second division from constable to inspector, once he or she satisfied the qualification and selection criteria, to apply to be CoP or a DCP.

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"[UPDATED] SORT head, two others nominated for DCP"

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