Acting CoP Williams gets PM’s nod of approval He’s doing a great job By Yvonne Webb Published: Tuesday, December 16, 2014 Acting Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams may have more support than he thinks. In the wake of a media report that Government was considering amending the Police Service Commission Act to allow a junior to be considered for the substantive post of commissioner before it was shelved due to a lack of support, Williams had suggested he would quit the service if he did not have the support of his colleagues. But yesterday, even as talks continued to mount that Superintendent Johnny Abraham, head of the Central Division, was being looked at as Williams’ replacement, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar gave the incumbent her vote, saying she was happy with his performance. “The Commissioner of Police is entitled to his opinion. I think he is doing a great job, serious crimes are going down,” Persad-Bissessar told the media during her toy distribution drive at the Cedros Secondary School. “Commissioner Williams is doing the best that he can in all of the circumstances. Like him, if people are not happy with the job I am doing I will have to walk too or they will have to kick me out,” she added. She recalled that a note was brought to Cabinet to expand the selection process to allow for other people to aspire to the top position but the Police Service Social (PSC) and Welfare Association was not in favour of it and it was shelved. But she said her Government had no intention of selecting or handpicking anyone. Williams, who has been given five extensions over the past two years after taking over from outgoing Canadian Dwayne Gibbs, had told the T&T Guardian over the weekend he was happy with his tenure as acting CoP. However, he said if his colleagues were unhappy with his performance he would be willing to quit the service. Denying yesterday there was political interference by her Government in the appointment of the CoP, the Prime Minister said: “That cannot be because the Government does not appoint a commissioner of police. It is the PSC. “There are 6,500 police officers in the service and the pool to choose from as CoP is narrowed down to three officers.” She admitted, however, that Williams would have to consider whether he would walk away or face the boot if his colleagues were not happy with his performance. With elections due next year, Persad-Bissessar said she too would have to make a similar decision if people were not happy with her performance. Swipe at media Asked if she was concerned about allegations that a former minister was involved in a murder plot, Persad-Bissessar said she would be concerned about any minister or former minister involved in any nefarious activity. She said she would want to see the evidence first but she would be concerned about any citizen being involved in any kind of criminal activity. Reiterating that the toy drive was not an election gimmick or ploy, Persad-Bissessar said she had been distributing toys in her constituency for over 25 years and when she was elected Prime Minister she expanded it to the rest of the country. She expected that at the end of the toy drive she would have distrubuted toys to 70,000 children and next year, once she was still in office, she intended to increase the number of toys to between 100,000 to 200,000. She also took a swipe at the media over the recent furore over gift vouchers handed out to selected journalists at her annual Christmas function. “If you are not happy with what we give you then don’t take it and give them back,” she added. Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams may have more support than he thinks. In the wake of a media report that Government was considering amending the Police Service Commission Act to allow a junior to be considered for the substantive post of commissioner before it was shelved due to a lack of support, Williams had suggested he would quit the service if he did not have the support of his colleagues. But yesterday, even as talks continued to mount that Superintendent Johnny Abraham, head of the Central Division, was being looked at as Williams’ replacement, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar gave the incumbent her vote, saying she was happy with his performance. “The Commissioner of Police is entitled to his opinion. I think he is doing a great job, serious crimes are going down,” Persad-Bissessar told the media during her toy distribution drive at the Cedros Secondary School. “Commissioner Williams is doing the best that he can in all of the circumstances. Like him, if people are not happy with the job I am doing I will have to walk too or they will have to kick me out,” she added. She recalled that a note was brought to Cabinet to expand the selection process to allow for other people to aspire to the top position but the Police Service Social (PSC) and Welfare Association was not in favour of it and it was shelved. But she said her Government had no intention of selecting or handpicking anyone. Williams, who has been given five extensions over the past two years after taking over from outgoing Canadian Dwayne Gibbs, had told the T&T Guardian over the weekend he was happy with his tenure as acting CoP. However, he said if his colleagues were unhappy with his performance he would be willing to quit the service. Denying yesterday there was political interference by her Government in the appointment of the CoP, the Prime Minister said: “That cannot be because the Government does not appoint a commissioner of police. It is the PSC. “There are 6,500 police officers in the service and the pool to choose from as CoP is narrowed down to three officers.” She admitted, however, that Williams would have to consider whether he would walk away or face the boot if his colleagues were not happy with his performance. With elections due next year, Persad-Bissessar said she too would have to make a similar decision if people were not happy with her performance. Swipe at media Asked if she was concerned about allegations that a former minister was involved in a murder plot, Persad-Bissessar said she would be concerned about any minister or former minister involved in any nefarious activity. She said she would want to see the evidence first but she would be concerned about any citizen being involved in any kind of criminal activity. Reiterating that the toy drive was not an election gimmick or ploy, Persad-Bissessar said she had been distributing toys in her constituency for over 25 years and when she was elected Prime Minister she expanded it to the rest of the country. She expected that at the end of the toy drive she would have distrubuted toys to 70,000 children and next year, once she was still in office, she intended to increase the number of toys to between 100,000 to 200,000. She also took a swipe at the media over the recent furore over gift vouchers handed out to selected journalists at her annual Christmas function. “If you are not happy with what we give you then don’t take it and give them back,” she added. m.guardian.co.tt/news/2014-12-16/acting-cop-williams-gets-pm%E2%80%99s-nod-approval
Posted on: Tue, 16 Dec 2014 10:22:32 +0000
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