Human Rights advocate Mary Francis has expressed skepticism regarding the appointment of Verne Garde as Acting Commissioner of Police (CoP), referring to it as ‘window dressing’.
“The Prime Minister does lots of things for window dressing and to use his words, this is just flashing mirrors,” Francis, the National Centre For Legal Aid and Human Rights Executive Director, told St. Lucia Times.
Garde’s initial contract is for six months.
On Monday, he officially succeeded Saint Lucia’s first female Police Commissioner, Crusita Descartes-Pelius, whose tenure ended on Saturday.
However, Mary Francis questioned what Descartes-Pelius had accomplished and what Garde would do.
She asserted that the authorities are not addressing the root causes of crime and violence.
“Putting Verne Garde to my mind, I am not sure will solve the problem. To my mind, it is going to cause more division in the police force,” the outspoken Attorney at Law stated.
“What about other police officers with sufficient seniority and who are able also to perform the role? They have been bypassed,” Francis noted.
Francis declared that there’s too much politics in the public service, which she felt has lost its neutrality.
She told St. Lucia Times there should be a standard procedure where all who qualify can apply for the top cop post, with the Public Service Commission choosing the most competent one.
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