WHEN ERLA Harewood-Christopher was approved unanimously by Parliament as this country's new Commissioner of Police, it was a hopeful moment. Given the fact that for so much of our recent history we have had acting commissioners serve in the post for long periods of time, even as crime reached fever pitch, it was felt that the installation of a substantive officeholder was a step in the right direction which would provide a much needed boost to police morale.
Lo and behold, a mere three months later, it is now apparent that we did not get a new police commissioner, but rather yet another acting appointee.
That is the net effect of the provisions of the Police Service Act relating to officers who have reached retirement age, provisions which have been invoked by Cabinet this week as it announced the extension of Ms Harewood-Christopher's term by one year.
Section 75 of the act allows the Cabinet to extend the term of service of any police officer who has reached retirement age, for a period of one year in the first instance and thereafter, subject to an annual review, for a maximum of two further periods of one year each.
This means that the commissioner's term of office is not guaranteed to be three years: she will be subject to a review by the Cabinet every year if she wishes to remain in the post. In other words, her position is little different from that of an on-the-job trainee or a new worker on probation.
We did not have to get to this point.
Even before the first day of Ms Harewood-Christopher's tenure, there was warning of her approaching retirement age next Monday. In fact, the Prime Minister and Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal sparred over the provisions of the Police Service Act and its impact on the tenure of the new postholder.
'The law is there and the fact that an extension is to be triggered by Cabinet holds no fear for the PNM,' Dr Rowley said then.
But if the PNM evidently holds no fears over the current arrangement, that party and the entire national community ought to, regardless of political affiliation.
Having Cabinet review Ms Harewood-Christopher's performance on an annual basis effectively goes against the spirit of the Constitution, which has established a Police Service Commission to do precisely that. There is good reason why the performance appraisal of a sitting commissioner should be handled by an independent body and not the executive.
The Government should stay its hand, amend the law and let the PSC review the commissioner's tenure. That tenure, too, should be fixed, not contingent on age. The CoP deserves better than to be treated like an intern.
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