Gonsalves says police force ‘now entirely politicised’

Opposition Leader  Ralph Gonsalves has criticised the plan to promote Inspector Brenton Smith directly to assistant commissioner of police (ACP), saying the move would be “absolutely unacceptable” and deepen what he describes as growing politicisation of the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force.

Minister of National Security St. Clair Leacock announced Smith’s promotion, among other movements within the high command of the constabulary on Wednesday.

Smith was among hundreds of public sector workers fired in 2021 under Gonsavles’ Unity Labour Party government’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

He went on to serve as general secretary of the then-opposition New Democratic Party before returning to the constabulary after the party won the Nov. 27 general election and implemented its policy that saw workers dismissed under the mandate returning to their jobs with their benefits intact.

Smith’s promotion means he will skip the ranks of inspector, assistant superintendent of police, and superintendent of police.

Speaking on his Morning Comrade radio show on Star FM on Wednesday, Gonsalves reacted to a caller who cited Leacock as saying that Smoth would be promoted from inspector to ACP and placed over key human resource functions in the force.

‘You can’t skip all those ranks’

Gonsalves said such a leap, if confirmed, would be unprecedented and unfair to long-serving officers who remained in the force while Smith left to engage in active party politics.

Gonsalves said he was not attacking Smith personally, but focusing on the principle involved.

“You have somebody who was out, an official in the NDP as general secretary, he didn’t want to take the vaccine, so we know the rules — he is deemed to have abandoned his job.

“I have no problem he’s coming back — he’ll get his job, because he could have come back and got his job otherwise, like other people have done. But you can’t move him from station sergeant and skip him several things to superintendent of police or assistant commissioner of police.”

Later, when the host of the show read from a report that Smith would be elevated from inspector to ACP, Gonsalves responded:

“You cannot be skipping assistant superintendent, superintendent, and so on, and just arrive at assistant commissioner of police. I just don’t understand how that could be justified. I don’t think the country will take that lightly.”

‘This one will have a lot of repercussions’

Gonsalves said that such an appointment would likely cause serious disquiet both in the country and inside the force.

“… Vincentians believe in fairness, and if they see something is unfair, they will talk about it. And the police also will talk about it if they see unfairness,” he said, adding, “This one is going to have a lot of repercussions. A lot of repercussions.”

Police Service Commission should not approve it

Gonsalves said he knew members of the Police Service Commission (PSC) and would be “gravely disappointed” if they formally endorsed such a promotion.

“I know the chairman of the Police Service Commission; I know the people on the Police Service Commission, and I can’t believe that they, properly advised, would have taken such a decision. I don’t see that.”

He suggested that the issue was one of basic merit and seniority.

“There are four positions for assistant commissioner of police. If the four of them are filled, the question is now what somebody can reasonably say as to who should fill those positions.

I don’t think that the rank and file of the people in the police force, or the ordinary people, will see that a man who is a politician could come back into the force and be skipped in this way.”

Smith case different from other promotions

Gonsalves distinguished the reported promotion of Smith from the elevation of two other senior officers who, he said, had risen through the system.

Callers and the programme host referenced reports that ACP Trevor “Buju” Bailey and his brother, Superintendent of Police Dwayne Bailey would be appointed as deputy commissioners of police, with one replacing Frankie Joseph, who was due to go on leave.

Gonsalves said he had “a lot of regard” for the Bailey brothers.

“I have a lot of regard for Dwayne Bailey. He was promoted under the Police Service Commission before we left office to the position of superintendent of police.

“Similarly with Buju. Buju had been an assistant commissioner of police, and if it is felt that he could be promoted to that [deputy] position, that is within the normal bounds.”

He said those moves were “within the bounds of reasonableness” and took place inside the constitutional framework where the prime minister has a role in appointing the commissioner and deputy commissioners.

By contrast, he said, Smith’s reported leap would be on a “completely different footing” because of the combination of rapid promotion and recent partisan involvement.

“The police force is now entirely politicised”

Gonsalves also questioned why a sitting minister would be the one announcing individual promotions in the force.

“I don’t see how Leacock should be announcing that. You know, the police force is now entirely politicised,” said Gonsalves, who was held ministerial responsibility for the police under the Unity Labour Party government, which was voted out of office in November.