By ANDRE BAGOO Thursday, October 29 2009

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GOLD: ACP Stephen Williams...

ASSISTANT Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams, the man who Government rejected for the post of Police Commissioner, has been appointed Gold Commander for the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).

Newsday understands a decision was taken by the CHOGM Secretariat, which falls under the Office of the Prime Minister, to appoint Williams instead of Summit of the Americas Gold Commander ACP Steve Waldron.

Williams was selected only weeks after the conclusion of the April summit and is now charged with coordinating security for CHOGM, which runs from November 27 to November 29 and is expected to see Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II in attendance.

Among the units he will head in his new high-profile and high-pressure job is the Joint Inter-Agency Multi-National Task Force. He will also liaise with local security forces and the Ministry of National Security.

Williams’ appointment comes amidst his steady rise within the police rank and file, notwithstanding the failure of Government to accept him for the post of CoP. In January, he was promoted from senior superintendent to ACP.

Last year, Williams, the head of the transformation unit of the Police Service, beat 38 other applicants for the job of Police Commissioner and was the Police Service Commission’s top candidate for the post. He was announced as the choice of the PSC for the job on June 13 last year. However, on July 4, Government MPs rejected Williams, declaring that the selection process was flawed. The PSC went on to appoint ACP James Philbert to act as Commissioner.

This month, the PSC announced that the search for a new Police Commissioner was well underway.