DLP General Secretary responds to PM’s statement

General Secretary of the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) and former Chairman of the Public Service Commission Guyson Mayers has responded to Prime Minister Mia Mottley’s statement on the appointment of a second deputy Commissioner of Police.

Below is the full statement:

I regret having to further embroil the Royal Barbados Police Force in controversy, especially at a time when its members need to focus on keeping our people safe.

However, I feel constrained to clarify the fog created by statements made by the Prime Minister on the unlawful appointment of a person to a post that does not exist in that organisation.

The Prime Minister pointed to an interview in 2012 or 2013 after which unsuccessful candidates for the post of Deputy Commissioner were ranked in priority in the event that the post became vacant.

The single post of Deputy Commissioner has not become vacant since the appointment of the successful candidate.

Before the then Commission could appoint the successful candidate, legal action was taken to prevent the Commission from making promotions until the court could determine the outcome of the matter before it which challenged the promotion of  certain persons.

Barbados is fully aware that the Royal Barbados Police Force was embroiled in legal matters which prevented any promotions from taking place. An important factor forgotten by the Prime Minister in her declarations about persons acting for inordinate periods in the Force.

During the tenure of the 2012/2013 Police Services Commission, there was never any contemplation of two posts of Deputy Commissioner.

The appointment of a person to such a post in 2020, which is nonexistent, can in no way relate to what a now defunct Commission did in 2012 or 2013.

It should also be borne in mind that the entity which conducted those interviews no longer exists. Therefore, the usual practice of continuity from one Commission to a differently constituted one, does not obtain, for there is now no Police Service Commission.

Further, a priority list of unsuccessful candidates does not have a life of seven years. Such a list loses its life after two years.  This further makes curious the justification used by the Prime Minister for this unfortunate development.

From what I have heard in her delivery the Prime Minister at no point addressed the critical factor which is the legality of the appointment of a person to a post that does not exist.

As a result, through no fault of his own, a long serving officer is being used to deflect the unfortunate action of which he is the subject.

Political tampering has caused problems in the Force before. It seems set to do it again.