NOMINEES are being considered for reconstitution of the Police Service Commission (PSC), Minister of State Joseph Harmon said Monday.

Speaking after the Chinese Government donated US$2.6M in transportation and communications equipment to the Guyana Police Force on Monday, the Minister of State said, “…it is now being considered for the reactivation.”

“The life of the last commission came to an end at the end of August and so we are looking now at re-establishing the PSC,” said Harmon, who noted that the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change (AFC) administration is in the process of activating all commissions that are currently dormant.

It is unclear who the nominees for the PSC are. In August, government said it had launched an investigation into accusations of abuse and malpractices within the PSC, as well as in the Guyana Police Force, following mounting complaints by police ranks. President David Granger had told reporters then that there have been many legitimate complaints by members of the PSC and aggrieved police officers of abuse and malpractices in the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and it is precisely for this reason that he has asked for the promotion of police officers to be delayed.

Weeks before its life came to an end, the Ministry of the Presidency had also ordered the PSC to put on hold any new promotion of police officers – a move which the opposition had criticised. The commission’s life came to an end in September. “We are investigating the complaints which have been made to us and we have asked the Police Service Commission to simply delay, so that we can answer those queries and once those queries are satisfactorily answered, we will proceed. It’s no intention on my part to impede the work of the commission,” the President had said.

Meanwhile, in relation to the recommendations made by the Paul Slowe Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the alleged plot to assassinate the President, Harmon said President Granger will consider the recommendations shortly, noting that decisions are likely to be made before the next six months. “…In addition to the recommendations for changes in the force, we have to consider the Security Sector Reform Report and all of those issues will be brought together when we are looking at the holistic way in which the force will be managed.”

Moreover, the Minister of State declined to comment on the recommendations made by Slowe to government for Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud, who is currently on annual leave, to be made to resign under conditions as the President considers appropriate. “I won’t comment on this dismissal business, it is an option but I am not going to comment on that. You heard Minister [of Public Security] Ramjattan give his views publicly on the matter.

It is going to be considered by the President and Cabinet,” stated Harmon. He disclosed too that he has had talks with Persaud in relation to “what he considers to be important matters in relation to his own welfare,” a few weeks ago. The Minister of State said because Seelall is Police Commissioner “we are always in touch.”

As it relates to who will hold the post in future when acting Police Commissioner David Ramnarine travels, Harmon made it clear that the most senior of the Assistant Commissioners will act as Police Commissioner. “In the first set of structures that would allow for the next senior rank to act up in the capacity of the Commissioner of Police and in the case of the Criminal Investigations Department, there is an officer in there who would be identified to do that,” Harmon told reporters.

He declined to comment on whether Assistant Police Commissioner Clifton Hicken would be the person to act as Top Cop. “The senior who will be there if in fact that is the senior officer; we are not in the habit of jumping people,” stressing that the force has a structure that will be followed.

The Slowe report has recommended that Hicken be disciplined for neglect of duty in relation to the alleged assassination plot against President Granger. “…all things are possible – every police who joins the force hopes one day to become the commissioner…I want to say, we don’t just look at the male ranks of the police force, we have female officers as well and therefore, if it is that a female officer has to be the person, then so be it,” stressing that action on the entire CoI is being considered.