9 TIMES HE’S ACTED

On his return to office yesterday, after a three-month vacation, the PSC informed Williams, 55, that he has to continue acting duties. Even so, Williams will persist with his bid to be chosen to head the Police Service as he plans to reapply, on what would be his third try, whenever the position is once again publicly advertised. “I am the senior ranked officer in the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service, I proceeded on three-months vacation and resumed today (Tuesday). (The) Service Commission (police) has given me an additional appointment of six months which they have done on eight previous occasions...

so this is the ninth. Yes, I am back in office as of today,” Williams told Newsday.

At the time, Williams was leaving the First Church of the Open Bible off Ruth Avenue in San Fernando after attending the funeral service for social activist Hal Greaves who worked extensively with the Police Service. His disclosure came after Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley bemoaned, last Sunday, that as head of the National Security Council he did not even know who would be in charge of the Police Service the next day, indirectly expressing frustration with the process of recruiting a top cop.

The Prime Minister was at the time declaring a tough stand against crime, announcing his direct involvement in combating the scourge at the community level, to supporters at the PNM convention at Queen’s Park Savannah, Portof- Spain. His lament also came on the day the PSC published an advertisement for a consulting firm, “to assist with the recruitment of a Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner of Police for Trinidad and Tobago Police Service. The deadline for submissions of proposals is 2 pm on November 18.” Given past efforts, it is expected that once the PSC has hired a firm, the position for Commissioner of Police (CoP) and Deputy Commissioner would be officially advertised with the recruiter to then interview and propose nominees for the PSC to submit to Parliament for approval. Ironically, Williams was nominated by the PSC for the top cop post back in 2007, when he first applied. Undeterred by yet another acting stint, Williams remains steadfast in his quest for the job and will apply for the position once more.

“I have publicly announced that you can’t be functioning in an office, then refuse to apply for the substantive position.

So I will apply whenever the opportunity arises, right now there is no such opportunity because they have not advertised the position as yet,” he said yesterday. In 2007, under the Patrick Manning administration, Williams, a lawyer and 47-year-old Senior Su perintendent with 29 years service at the time, applied with then Deputy Commissioner of Police James Philbert and they were short-listed among five persons for the CoP post, along with three Americans.

Williams and Philbert were the two names on the Order of Merit List submitted by Penn State Safety and Justice Institute, the US firm contracted to interview and recommend nominees to the PSC. But then Police Commissioner Trevor Paul, who was to retire in November 2007, was given an extension pending the appointment of a new police chief.

Early in 2008, Williams who became the sole nominee, was rejected by the PNM Government and UNC Opposition who were not willing to give his nomination the required Parliamentary approval.

Millions of dollars were spent on the exercise.

Both sides refused to support the nomination as they felt Williams, who then had spent nine years as a CID officer and was a respectable and intelligent man, was not seen a “crime buster.” Under the Kamla Persad-Bissessar administration, Williams again applied for the post, but recruiters Penn State short-listed Canadian Dwayne Gibbs, who was appointed CoP, with another Canadian Jack Ewatski being appointed Deputy Commissioner, on approval by Parliament in September 2010. Both Canadians resigned in July 2012, amid low morale among the rank and file and public outcry about crime.

Until he gets a chance to make a third attempt, Williams continues with his duties and yesterday spoke of the significant drop in the murder rate in Port-of-Spain where Greaves, known as Uncle Roy, did most of his activism. (See Page 15A) “We have seen in 2016 significant reduction in murders, shootings and woundings in Port of Spain, in fact, in excess of 90 less shootings and woundings and in excess of 40 murders less in Port-of-Spain, so that is significant. Never in the history of Port-of-Spain, we have seen that big drop in that level of violence.” Asked about the introduction of body cameras for police in light of the recent police killing of Adil Gilbert, a matter now under investigation, Williams said the cameras have already been introduced through a pilot programme involving 50 officers in Central Division