The interview process for the candidates short-listed for the post of Commissioner of Police (CoP) is over.
Among the final candidates are incumbent Gary Griffith and acting Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Erla Christopher, Sunday Newsday has been reliably informed.
The post of CoP becomes vacant on August 18.
Initially, the Police Service Commission had removed the requirement for candidates to undergo a polygraph test but later included the test after Cabinet intervened, Sunday Newsday was told.
There was no response to questions sent to the commission, headed by Bliss Seepersad, seeking comment on the issue among other queries.
In an attempt to reduce the time to seek candidates for the post, Parliament in July approved an amendment which removed the requirement to advertise internationally and for a recruitment firm of international repute be involved in the interview process.
The Commissioner of Police and Deputy Commissioner of Police (Selection Process) Order 2021 order, published on June 17, shortens this process for the selection of the top cop and three deputies.
According to the order, candidates meeting the academic qualifications will be required to submit a medical report and submit themselves to a security and profession vetting for the best candidates to be short-listed.
At the end of the exercise, the commission has to prepare an order of merit list with the highest graded candidate at the top followed by the other top three candidates, according to their scores, and submit it to President Paula-Mae Weekes in keeping with the procedure set out in section 123 of the Constitution. In turn the President has to submit the name of the highest ranked candidate to Parliament for approval.
[caption id="attachment_907343" align="alignnone" width="1008"] Acting Deputy Commissioner of Police Erla Christopher, seated, with promoted officers on October 10, 2018. File photo/TTPS -[/caption]
The order also allows the commission to submit a list of suitably qualified candidates from among the ranks of the police service, or someone who is, or was on contract, as a nominee to act in the post of CoP or DCP, pending the appointment of substantive nominees.
Two officers, Insp Mark Hernandez and ACP Andre Norton, were previously nominated to fill the existing vacancies of DCPs. Norton, the head of the Police Academy, also applied for the CoP post in July along with 25 other candidates, including Snr Supt Anand Ramesar, Supt Andrew John, Sgt Neil Narine. Seven candidates were short-listed after the interview and security vetting process, Sunday Newsday was informed.
Hernandez, the former head of the Special Operation Response Team, an elite tactical unit under the command of Griffith, was charged with misbehaviour in public office by encouraging the unlawful assault of David Ottley Jr during the Andrea Bharatt murder investigation and can no longer qualify once there is pending charge against him.
On August 10, officers of the Professional Standards Bureau submitted their file to the Dire
