The National Transformation Alliance (NTA), which is led by former police commissioner, Gary Griffith says the country needs to stop criticizing current Commissioner Erla Harwood-Christopher.
In a statement on Thursday, the NTA said while it “understands the public’s frustration due to the escalating crime rate, which saw public trust and confidence fall from 59% when she took over to 8% where it is now, and for the record of the first and second most murderous years in the history of our country; the truth is she is not at fault because she didn’t appoint herself. The blame must rest squarely on the Police Service Commission who appointed her.”
They said her lack of any plans, policies, and initiatives and her inability to speak clearly when questioned should not be surprising, given that when assessed by experts, she finished 12th, some 30 percentage points behind the person with the top marks.
“To be more specific, in the media aspect of the assessment, she got 4.67 out of 15, which was the second lowest of all the candidates assessed. In Fit for Role, another assessment category, she tied for last with just 3 points, which was again out of 15.”
The NTA said even more curious is the fact that 50% of the assessment for Commissioner is based on interviews, and when assessed by experts, Harewood-Christopher got 24 out of 50. This suggests that for her to top the recent list, she would have gotten close to 50 out of 50 from the present PolSC, which, from the evidence before the public, is impossible to imagine.”
“But it would be like blaming someone playing school’s cricket who was consistently getting ducks for continued failures, if they were somehow appointed to play on the West Indies Cricket Team. We would rightfully blame the selectors, and in the case of Harewood-Christopher, the Judith Jones-led Police Service Commission, appointed by an outgoing President who refused to adhere to the Constitution in the Merit List Fiasco, are the ones who the public should be directing their questions and anger to.”
The NTA added: “The public needs to be reminded of where this all began. A Prime Minister went to President’s House to deliver a document like a postman, which precipitated the collapse of the previous Bliss Seepersad Police Service Commission, whose other members resigned in disgust after speaking about political interference.”