Slowe, others nominated to Police Services Commission

Retired Assistant Police Commissioner, Paul Slowe has been recommended to sit on the constitutional body which oversees the promotion and disciplinary actions of members of the Guyana Police Force (GPF).

Slowe was appointed by Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, President David Granger to head a Commission of Inquiry (COI) into the alleged assassination plot against his life.

It was during the COI, President Granger instructed the Police Services Commission (PSC) not to proceed with the promotions of police officers last year. The High Court has since ruled that the decision to pass such directives to the PSC was unconstitutional but at the time the ruling was handed down, the life of the Commission had already expired.

Meanwhile, also recommended to sit on the PSC was another Retired Assistant Commissioner Clinton Conway and Retired Woman Assistant Commissioners of Police, Vesta Adams and Claire Jarvis. The recommendations will now be submitted to President Granger for consideration and if approved, they will be sworn in.

At Thursday’s sitting of the National Assembly, Chairperson of the Appointments Committee, Dr George Norton laid the 11th Report of the Committee on Appointments in relation to the appointment of members of the Commission.

Members of the Committee unanimously adopted this report during the April 11, 2018 meeting.

The nominations were received from the Association of Former Members of the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Police Association.

With a new PSC set to be in place soon, it is expected that those who were on last year’s list to be promoted will still be considered worthy of advancing in their career.

The list seen by the News Room showed that the persons tipped for promotions included: Assistant Commissioner of Police (Operations) Clifton Hicken for Deputy Commissioner of Police and the then Crime Chief, Senior Superintendent Wendell Blanhum, for Assistant Commissioner.

But Blanhum has since been demoted to Deputy Commander of ‘A’ Division following the COI. The COI revealed that there were several lapses in the police’s investigation of this threat against the life of President Granger.

Also on the list of those who were tipped for promotion were Head of Special Branch, Brian Eastman, for Senior Superintendent of Police; Head of Major Crimes Unit, Assistant Superintendent Mitchell Caeser, for Deputy Superintendent; and SWAT Unit leader, Deputy Superintendent Lonsdale Withrite, for Superintendent. Withrite was not a subject of the Commission of inquiry.