Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, Dr. Ralph Gonsalves has addressed the matter of promotion within the RSVG Police Force, following concerns expressed about the process.
Two days before the Nov. 05 general election, the Police Service Commission green lighted the promotion of forty-seven (47) Police Officers.
Among those posts to which officers were promoted were Assistant Commissioner of Police, Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent and Inspectors of Police.
There had been some less than supportive statements by opposition New Democratic Party (NDP) executive members, but there was no response by government until after the general election.
Dr. Gonslaves, speaking at a round table discussion hosted by Theresa Daniel and aired on VC3 TV on Wednesday 11th, sought to explain the promotion process as it obtains in the Police Force.
Promotions to the ranks of corporal, sergeant, he said, were within the domain of the Commissioner of Police, who will be advised by the senior officers.
“If somebody is not promoted and they feel they were unfairly done, they would come to me and I may asked the Commissioner, has Theresa been overlooked, has John Browne been overlooked? He would say, ‘Well, I don’t know, I have to check this,’ before he would give me an answer,” Gonsalves told host.
He added, though, that sometimes the Commissioner would have the answer immediately.
As for promotions at the higher levels, recommendations would have to come from the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of National Security, which will then be forwarded to the Police Service Commission, Dr. Gonsalves expounded.
“The positions of Deputy Commissioner and Commissioner are my call under the constitution,” said Gonsalves.
“Now it is true that there are weaknesses in the management of personnel and that includes in the police, in teaching, inside of the civil service and there is a vast improvement than what I met. For instance the database…. because information is an important tool in the management of human resources,” said the Prime Minister.
In addition to what Dr. Gonsalves described as being the rule of thumb, the acceleration promotion approach has also been employed in the RSVGPF.