‘Acting Policy’ for Police Commissioner, Deputy

THE Police Service Commission (PolSC) establishes a new policy to appoint acting police commissioners and deputy commissioners of police.

A release on Tuesday stated, “This policy aims to ensure a fair and transparent process for appointing officers in the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) to temporarily fill vacancies that may arise whether there is a substantive incumbent or not and ensure continuity of operations at the executive level of the TTPS.”

It outlined a process of nine steps:

1. Notification of arising vacancies where acting appointments are to be facilitated must be communicated by the Commissioner of Police and/or the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of National Security to the Commission and must be submitted to the Director of Personnel Administration at the earliest possible time, that is, at least two weeks in advance of the commencement of the acting appointment;
2. Notwithstanding No. (1) above the Commission may waive the period of notice where the necessity to submit recommendations has been occasioned by sudden illness or very special circumstances or in any other circumstances which the Commission may consider appropriate;
3. The Commission selects as its nominee for acting appointment the next officer in order of merit on the Order-of-Merit List established for the purpose of making acting appointments;
4. The Commission informs the President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago of its nomination;
5. The President forwards a Notification of the person so nominated for the consideration of the House of Representatives. The House of Representative either approves or does not approve the nomination;
6. The Commission is informed of the outcome and appoints to the acting position the nominee who receives an affirmative resolution from the Parliament;
7. The Commission informs the Commissioner of Police and/or the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of National Security and the officer of the acting appointment;
8. If nominee is not approved by the House of Representatives the Commission is notified and
   submits the name of the next officer on the Order-of-Merit List to the President; and
9. Steps 4 to 6 are repeated.