DPP joins calls for promotion of police officers

Director of Public Prosecutions Sejilla McDowall is calling for the promotion of police officers attached to the Witness Care Unit, based at her office.

Her calls came even as there have not been regular promotions in the police force for almost two years.

She made the call at the closing of the criminal assizes on Dec. 19, saying that Police

Police Constables 212 Dasent and 821 Telesford — who have 18 and 16 years of service, respectively — should be at a higher rank.

“The witness care officers are not civil servants. They are police officers who are of a different pedigree in terms of persons to serve the public,” Mc Dowall told the special sitting of the High Court, presided over by Justice Rickie Burnett.

“They have been on attachment, some of them have come over from that very 2024 but they have been always working along with us. And for those who are serving the High Court, that’s Constables Dascent and Telesford, they have been serving quite well and engaging on a level that is highly professional with witnesses, defendants court staff and the like,

“But they are still police constables. And that is the challenge I am having with police officers on attachment at the Office of the DPP. They are working exemplary and so they have outgrown their ranks and I am hoping that as we step into 2025, there can be some suitable gifts. So, I am waiting on that — suitable gifts, not acting appointments.”

The DPP said the Witness Care Unit had moved from one to six people by January 2024 and has maintained that number and dispatched some workers to the magistrate’s court.

Speaking during the same sitting, defence counsel Grant Connell praised the work of the court staff but noted that officers Dascent, Telesford and Pompey are all constables, with Pompey acting as a corporal.

“I don’t understand how this police force works sometimes. I made the analogy last time with birds. Some of them do nothing and just soar, like them bird. No wind and they going up,” Connell said.

“I ain’t speaking about nobody over there, eh,” Connell added, referring to the senior police officer at the special sitting.

He said he agreed with the DPP that the officers at the court should be promoted.

“Madam DPP talked about gifts; I am telling you they need to be recognised for their work. They have some men in green, they drop clear off the scene. You don’t see any of them at any crime scene, you don’t see any of them in court. No scene at all,” Connell said, adding that he was not talking about the senior officers in court.

COP: ‘something will happen before the end of 2024’

The issue of promotion in the police force was also raised at a police press conference in Kingstown on Dec. 16.

iWitness News noted that reports suggest that up to 100 police officers had left the force as of April 2024, either through retirement or resignation, with some being fed up with stagnation in the ranks.

“We are waiting and I believe before the year is finished, that we’ll have some answers for a number of persons who — because vacancies have to be released, you can’t just promote people in a non-existent vacancy,” acting Commissioner of Police Enville Williams said.

He said that an officer who has reached retirement age might have significant vacation days remaining and that rank cannot be filled, except in an acting capacity, because the substantive office holder is still in post.

“So, there are some technical challenges that you have to work around to fill the vacancies,” he said.

“But I’ve given the police officers a few weeks ago the assurance that something will happen before the end of 2024 and so I’m giving that same assurance to St. Vincent and the Grenadines.”

iWitness News asked Williams what the force was doing to retain its most competent officers and skill sets.

Williams said the constabulary has had some challenges as it relates to resignation or retirement.

He said that retirement is normal either by officers attaining a certain age or after 20 years of service.

“So that the person who comes in might have already planned that at 20, 21, years, I would have achieved X, Y and Z, and I’m looking for different opportunities elsewhere, so that comes naturally.

“But we’ve had some challenges as it relates to resignation, and a lot of them are persons who go off to the British military.”

The police chief said the force is trying to address this as it relates to people with certain competencies.

He noted that acting Assistant Commissioner of Police with responsibility for crime-fighting, Trevor “Buju” Bailey had noted that the force would be sending more officers to be trained in crime scene management.

“… that particular skill set, to be certified internationally, is a one-year training,” Williams said, adding that depending on the school, the police force is allowed one place every two years.

He said the constabulary has been discussing a formula to retain people who the government has paid to train.

“We’ve had that technical discussion as to how do you proceed with bonding somebody who government …  put out an immense amount of money to train in a particular skill set.”

Williams said constabularies across the region are advertising for officers with certain skills.

“… because now they don’t have to spend the amount of money that we spend to train them, but they’re offering them something that looks like gold, but in most cases, is when it comes down to the nitty-gritty, is almost gold plated…

“So, we are trying to come up with a formula so after we’ve trained you at this exorbitant cost to keep you in service.”