Acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams has been given another six-month extension. He was given his letter of appointment yesterday by chairman of the Police Service Commission Prof Ramesh Deosaran. A news release by the commission yesterday noted that there were several challenges facing the acting Police Commissioner but acknowledged steps he was taking to improve the Police Service.
The commission said owing to the requirements of Legal Notice 102, the commission had to wait for the shortlist of candidates from the firm which was now being sought by the. national Insurance Property Development Company (Nipdec) as contracted by the director of personnel administration. After the process of selecting a firm, that firm will then select candidates for recommendation to the commission. It then selects its choice and sends the name of the candidate to Parliament for approval, it was stated. Williams was appointed on August 7, 2012, for six months. On January 17, the commission extended his appointment to July 31.
Williams replaced former commissioner, Canadian Dwayne Gibbs, who stepped down in July, last year after public pressure over his failure to reduce crime. At a press conference last year, Deosaran described the process as a “tangled web,” in urgent need of review. He also called on Government to immediately review Legal Notice 102, which identifies the selection process for a CoP and his deputies. Referring to Part (h) of the notice, Deosaran said the commission was mandated to do its own assessment of the candidates, although a similar exercise would already have been done by a selected firm.