‘Deputies essential?’

Two more Government officials have side-stepped the controversial issue of the recent appointment of a second Deputy Commissioner of Police.

A check with senior officials of Parliament by Barbados TODAY revealed that “no measure had been passed in that Chamber in the last two years which permitted the appointment of two deputies.”

Last week when Attorney General  Dale Marshall was asked by the media to address  the matter as Government’s chief legal advisor, he declined, telling reporters he had no intention of engaging in a tit-for-tat with Franklyn.

He was referring to Opposition Senator Caswell Franklyn who last week sounded alarm over the appointment of a second deputy.

Today, when this media house reached out to Police Commissioner Tyrone Griffith he too would not comment, but instead referred Barbados TODAY to Chairman of the Protective Services Commission Branford Goddard.

Goddard also side-stepped the issue stating only “an appropriate comment will be made at the appropriate time”.

Two weeks ago the Protective Services Commission which is responsible for recommending appointments to the Governor-General,  announced in a statement to the media that Assistant Commissioner of Police Oral Williams had been appointed Deputy Commissioner effective May 1, 2020.

Franklyn had also said that Williams was appointed to a non-existent position in the Royal Barbados Police Force (RBPF).

Oral Williams

Franklyn, who is General Secretary of the Unity Trade Union (UTU)  is contending that the Police Act, CAP 167 stated at Section 6 that the police force shall consist of a commissioner, a deputy commissioner and such number of assistant commissioners, superintendents, inspectors, subordinate police officers and constables, respectively, and does not exceed the number provided by any order made under Section 2 of the Civil Establishments Act.

He also noted that the number of persons appointed to the post of commissioner and deputy commissioner is subject to primary legislation.

Franklyn explained that the Police Act would be the primary legislation and that such numbers could only be adjusted by changes to the Act carried out in Parliament.

However, Franklyn explained that the same Act gives the minister for Civil Establishments the power, by subsidiary legislation, to determine the number of assistant commissioners, superintendents, inspectors, subordinate police officers and constables.

The union leader said that the power to make appointments to public offices, and to remove and to exercise disciplinary control over people holding or acting in the Public Service, was vested in the Governor General, acting on the advice of service commissions which on this occasion is the Protective Service Commission.

Erwin Boyce has been serving as Deputy Commissioner of Police since being appointed on May 1, 2018.

Boyce took over from Williams who was Acting as deputy at the time.

President of the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) Verla De Peiza has also been questioning the appointment of Williams.

DePeiza pointed out that there has been no announcement of Boyce’s retirement from the Force and asked how then could there be the appointment of  Williams to that same post. emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb