George: Easier to appoint a President than Police Commissioner
Attorney and former Police Service Commission member Martin George, says the Opposition has valid concerns about the selection process of the acting commissioner of police and deputy police commissioners.
On Friday, the Opposition rejected the Constitution (Amendment) Bill, which sought to allow the Police Service Commission (PolSC) to appoint acting commissioners without the approval of the House of Representatives.
George, who spoke on the issue during an interview on CNC3’s The Morning Brew yesterday, said concerns by the Opposition that someone who is not on the merit list could be appointed are justified.
“If it is you are talking specifically about pulling persons from the merit list, that is one of the issues that the Opposition raised. They asked, can you (the Government) confirm for sure that it’s going to be the next person on the merit list who is going to be appointed as the acting commissioner, in such a circumstance where you want to short-circuit the parliamentary process? And I think it’s a valid question that was raised,” George, who is also the Tobago Business Chamber chairman, said.
George, however, agreed that the current selection process is too slow and complicated.
“It is an unnecessary, cumbersome process, and most civilised countries in the world do not have such a process, and yet, they are able to appoint commissioners of police in their countries, so we need to look at that fundamentally,” he added.
He believes this should be addressed by the way of constitutional reform.
“If it is that we do ever achieve some meaningful and realistic constitutional reform, one of the things that need to be overhauled entirely is the entire selection process for the Commissioner of Police and Deputy Commissioner of Police. In Trinidad and Tobago, at present, it’s easier to appoint a president, its easier to appoint a chief justice, its easier to appoint a prime minister, than it is to appoint a commissioner of police,” George said.
During the debate, Attorney General Reginald Armour proposed an amendment that said parliamentary approval would be needed for any acting appointment exceeding 21 days. However, the bill which needed a two-thirds majority to be passed was still rejected.
BY: SHIRLEY BAHADUR
George: Easier to appoint a president than police commissioner
