(Trinidad Guardian) The Police Service Commission has found no grounds to either remove or initiate disciplinary action against Police Commissioner Dwayne Gibbs and his foreign counterpart, Deputy Commissioner Jack Ewatski. There had been repeated calls and criticism from some Government Ministers, among them Attorney General Anand Ramlogan, angry Opposition members, a disgusted general public and disgruntled members of Police Service Social and Welfare Association, to have Gibbs and Ewatski relieved of their duties. However, the commission has found no grounds to either remove or initiate disciplinary action against the top officers.
But if there was any merit to remove any of the officers, the commission’s hands could be apparently tied as it made it clear “further constitutional provision” was needed to do so. The commission’s decision not to take any action against the officers for their apparent non-performance has been met with furore from the association’s president, Sgt Anand Ramesar, who yesterday said the actions of the commission demonstrated it“is in fact a toothless bulldog.”
At a stakeholders meeting last year at the commission’s Port-of-Spain office, chairman, Professor Ramesh Deosaran, described the organisation as a “toothless bulldog,” calling for legislation to support recommendations which the organisation might want to implement. Gibbs also has been the centre of recent controversy and criticism following the recent raid on the Newsday newspapers at Chacon Street, Port-of-Spain.
Ewatski also was at the centre of contention for his failing to inform the National Security Ministry about the $902,772 contract to a Tacarigua firm for 720 hours of use of a Zenith aircraft for a three-month evaluation. The commission’s three-page statement yesterday said 13 recommendations were instead sent to Gibbs, Ewatski and Deputy Commissioner Stephen Williams urging the officers to take them “very, very seriously.” The recommendations were made following the completion of the appraisal reports conducted on the officers by the commission for 2010 to 2011.
The commission outlined that the 13 areas identified were to bring about significant improvements to the Police Service and also to fulfil their obligations to the commission more promptly and efficiently. The officers also were asked to “show measurable indications of such improvements within this year.
“This means that the PSC executed no termination notice nor took any disciplinary action at this time,” the commission said, adding the appraisal exercise was the first to be conducted under the new legislative framework governing the Police Service and the commission. It said for the appraisal of each officer’s performance, the commission collected a significant range of data within four categories of law enforcement, public trust and confidence, human resource management and strategic initiatives, the results from which were given confidentially to each other. The commission also said it recognised the fact that Gibbs and Ewatski were “relatively new” to the country. Saying it viewed the appraisal mandate, not so much as a “punitive decision,” the commission asserted the appraisal exercise was rather used as a “developmental tool” to help the leadership of the Police Service execute its public safety responsibilities and measurable improvements and greater public satisfaction.
“The PSC will now expect no less and the commissioner and the two deputies have been strongly advised of this,” the commission stressed, maintaining “a further constitutional provision requires the PSC to remove from office and exercise disciplinary control over these three officers if and when the PSC finds it necessary to do so.” The commission also noted it was also “quite clear” in exercising its constitutional mandate. It stated there were some challenges in conducting the appraisal exercise. It said: “In initiating this new appraisal exercise, the PSC has no reliable benchmarks, no established data base which could have been properly used to gauge the efficiency or effectiveness of the new commissioner and his deputies.
“We have tried to fill this gap as we move into the next appraisal stage.” The commission added it met with Gibbs, Ewatski and Williams yesterday at 11 am to present its decision regarding their performance for 2010 to 2011 as required by Section 123 (1) (d) and (e) of the Constitution. It said: “More precisely, within these constitutional requirements is the PSC’s responsibility ‘to monitor the efficiency and effectiveness of the performance’ of these three officers, based primarily on an appraisal report by the PSC and its secretariat. “In this sense these officers are accountable to the PSC.” Information also was being sought from Gibbs regarding several complaints from citizens and from public officials which would be considered as part of the commission’s 2012 appraisal.
“Given the vital economic, social and political implications of public safety and national security, the PSC also fully appreciates the serious and widespread concerns which the public has over the Police Service and its leadership,” the commission noted.
