By Nalinee Seelal Friday, August 3 2012

The Police Service Commission (PSC) has chosen two officers, one of them a woman, to act as Deputy Commissioners of Police.

The two acting appointments will be announced next week after notices are sent out.

The changes in the police executive follow the resignations of Police Commissioner Dwayne Gibbs and his deputy Jack Ewatski, which take effect next Tuesday. There are three Deputy Commissioners in the police executive, and, apart from Ewatski, the others are Stephen Williams and Mervyn Richardson.

However, the PSC has chosen Williams to act as Police Commissioner for six months until a new head of the service is recruited. As a result, an officer has to be appointed to act as a Deputy Commissioner given Williams’ posting.

Another officer has to act as a Deputy Commissioner to temporarily fill the vacancy left by Ewatski’s resignation.

PSC sources said four police officers, three men and a woman, were interviewed and two have been selected for the acting positions with the woman being among them.

“The PSC members were unanimous in their choice of who the two new Acting Deputy Commissioners of Police will be and all the transparency procedures were followed and the two most suitable persons were chosen,” a source said yesterday.

Newsday understands the two were not chosen on the basis of seniority but competence and training, among other considerations.

“We are trying to change that whole succession planning,” said the PSC source.

The source also pointed out that restructuring of the PSC is taking place with a team reviewing proposed legislative and administrative changes.

“Within a year or so it will be re-engineered for the Police Service Commission to deal with the challenges and to serve the public’s interest more effectively. What is also up for review is the commission proposing to the Government that the whole recruitment and advertising exercise (for police commissioners) be remodeled because it’s too protracted and expensive,” said the source.

The source noted that five years ago members of Parliament agreed to review the legislative and administrative and recruitment framework of the PSC.

“The PSC expects both parties (Opposition and Government) to act on the basis of the bi-partisan pledge, made about five or six years ago to review the operations of the Police Service Commission.”

Newsday understands the resignation letters of Gibbs and Ewatski, which were three lines each, only reached the PSC on Monday, at about 1 pm, and the PSC met at 4 pm in an urgent meeting and continued meeting the next day because of the urgency to fill the vacancies.

The letters stated the resignations were effective August 7 and the two Canadians wished to thank the PSC for the opportunity to serve the country.

According to sources, Gibbs and Ewatski did cite personal reasons for their early departures.

Sources said Gibbs and Ewatski decided to call it quits after receiving information that they would not get a favourable assessment from the PSC prompting their decision to resign.

On Wednesday, Acting Attorney General Ganga Singh revealed Gibbs and Ewatski will receive close to $2.5 million in ex gratia payments. The payments of $1,277,420 for Gibbs and $1,210,307 for Ewatski, were recommended to, and approved by, the National Security Council and Cabinet.