There was not a whole lot of succession planning.
This was told to THE NEW TODAY by a high-ranking member of the Royal Grenada Police Force (RGPF) who was asked to comment on reports that former Commissioner of Police Edvin Martin had left behind for his successors a detailed plan to plot the rise of several officers to occupy key positions within the top echelon of the organisation.
He said the mechanism for the Succession Plan was just not there as persons were not identified and the requisite training never done to elevate these persons within the Police Force.
According to the official, RGPF “is at a crossroad” and that the current members of the High Command have embarked upon a plan to provide the type of training that is needed to develop police officers.
He disclosed that a member of the force is currently in Guyana for training as “we believe that Guyana has a good Police Academy.”
“We send someone down there with the understanding that you go through it but you have to give us a report back. It is a channel that we want to open,” he said.
The top insider pointed out that RGPF is also continuing its involvement with the Barbados-based Regional Security System (RSS) in order to provide some form of upliftment to its men and women in uniform.
He also disclosed that a decision has been taken to send an officer to the United Kingdom for training as part of the plan to build capacity within the police force.
“It is going to be expensive but RGPF is looking to send somebody to England. I don’t know the last time we send a police officer to England,” he said.
Some retired police officers have accused former Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell and his New National Party (NNP) which has run the affairs of the country for most of the past 30 years of doing little or nothing to provide training opportunities for police officers in key areas like Crime Fighting.
The senior police officer told THE NEW TODAY that Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Randy Connaught along with three senior members of the force were due to fly out of the island last weekend on training assignments.
He did not identify any of the three officers but said that one of them had “started a course in Barbados – that phase of the course in Barbados – so they had a Bronze aspect then from the Bronze the person going to England to do the Silver aspect and then after that there should be a Gold aspect.”
“We don’t make noise – we are not the kind that comes to the press. Do not under-estimate our efforts in terms of taking the organisation forward…,” he said.
THE NEW TODAY understands that during a recent meeting between the High Command and Prime Minister and Minister of National Security Dickon Mitchell emphasis was placed on capacity building within the local police force.
The official also announced plans by RGPF to engage the National Training Agency (NTA), as well as the T.A Marryshow Community College (TAMCC) on what programmes these institutions could put together to help develop police officers.
He said the current bosses within the Police Force are committed to turning RGPF into what he described as “a continuing and learning organisation.”
He spoke of plans to even approach St George’s University (SGU) to look specifically at the higher echelon of the force and that a degree programme is on the card.
“So right now, we are building capacity. If they (SGU) can put a programme together ….we are willing to look at it. We believe that we have people who have (met) the criteria and we want it to be centered around the skillset that the police force needs,” he said.