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Deputy Commissioner of Police McDonald Jacob's nomination to serve as acting commissioner of police (CoP) has been approved by Parliament. The decision was made following debate in the Parliament on Friday, with 22 MPs voting for, none voting against, and 14 abstentions.
The Prime Minister moved the motion to approve the notification of the President of the nomination by the Police Service Commission of Mc Donald Jacob to act in the office of CoP. He went into detail about Jacob’s qualifications, including his education and training in areas such as crime and intelligence analysis, decision making, officer protection, and policing of crimes.
National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds supported the motion, saying that Jacob was adequately suited to hold the position.
“He is possessed of a significant academic bent and was crucial in the establishment of the Crime and Problem Analysis Unit. He is possessed of team spiritedness, and is a man of ideas. The use of intelligence to drive activities in the fight against crime is his platform, and he has earned the respect of the members of the police service.”
Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal said while the Opposition did not have a problem with the nomination of Jacob to the position, they objected to the process by which his name had come before the Parliament. He asked who the other people were that had been considered for the post, whether they were senior to Jacob, and on what basis Jacob had been selected for nomination.
He said he was startled that even though Jacob had training in crisis management, he had said he was stressed out, and given the upcoming Christmas season, this was not a good thing. He said he was concerned that the mandates of the Commissioner of Police under the Interception of Communication Act had not been carried out while there was no Commissioner of Police in place. Hinds responded that under the act, the director of the Strategic Services Agency and the Chief of Defence Staff could carry out those mandates.
The motion was passed with 21 votes for, none against, and 14 abstentions.
The two nominees for acting deputy commissioners of police, Earla Christopher and Wendell Williams, were also confirmed in the posts, with 22 votes for, none against, and 15 abstentions. San Fernando East MP Brian Manning was granted leave to attend the session and vote virtually.
Rowley, in moving the motion, said Christopher was the product of years of service to the TTPS, with an educational background that qualified her to fill the post. He said she is currently an Assistant Commissioner of Police.
In his contribution, Naparima MP Rodney Charles said it was a pity that the government had waited until Christopher was 58 to appoint her to the post, as under current laws she would only have two years to give service to the TTPS. Rowley responded by reminding Charles that everyone employed to the TTPS at every level served the organisation.
The debate on the appointment of Williams was acrimonious, with Moonilal enquiring whether the current head of the Central Intelligence Bureau had political leanings because he had congratulated the government on appointing Hinds as National Security Minister while at a police service media conference. Rowley in his response asked how Moonilal felt about partying with the former CoP Gary Griffith.
These appointments were the subject of much debate, as Jacob’s previous appointment in the post was held to be illegal. In October Justice Nadia Kangaloo said Legal Notice 183 of 2021 and Legal Notice 103 of 2009, used to appoint former CoP Gary Griffith and Jacob to act as CoP, were invalid, pending the outcome of the selection process for a substantive top cop.
Legal Notice 277 was laid in Parliament on December 10, which only allowed serving police officers to act as top cop, unlike Legal Notice 183, which allowed for previously contracted workers to act.
The new law mandated that the PSC prepare and have an order of merit list for candidates to act as CoP and DCP. Both must receive parliamentary approval to take effect, in keeping with Kangaloo’s judgement.
The original merit list prepared by the PSC in August was the subject of controversy, as it was sent to the President and then rescinded. This led to the collapse of the previous commission, led by Bliss Seepersad, and the appointment of a new commission led by retired judge Judith Jones. The Opposition brought an unsuccessful motion to impeach the President as a result.
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