Glenroy Sinclair, Staff Reporter
( L - R ) Assistant Commissioner of Police Donald Pusey, ELLINGTON, FRATER, WADE AND FERGUSON
FOUR SENIOR officers, including seasoned street cop, Donald Pusey, have been promoted to the rank of assistant commissioners as part of several changes effected to the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), by Police Commissioner Lucius Thomas.
While Mr. Pusey has already taken up his appointment at Mobile Reserve, the other three officers - Clifford Blake, Denver Frater and Owen Ellington - are to sign new contracts offered to them by the Police Service Commission. "They will have to resign and sign the contracts," explained Noel Hylton, chairman of the commission.
Several months ago the Police Officers Association (POA) raised concerns about the contents of contracts for officers joining the commissioner ranks.
Mr. Hylton said some of the contracts being offered to the senior officers are three or four-year contracts, which are renewable. He also noted that the issue of contracts was discussed openly at a meeting with members of the Police Officers Association some-time ago.
Contacted, chairman of the POA, acting ACP Leon Rose, said that the matter was being discussed at an individual level, with the officers seeking legal advise to interpret the content of the documents accurately.
"The POA was never against the signing of a contract; our concerns were fairness, equity and the disengagement clause such as good industrial relation practice and natural process," said Mr. Rose.
At the moment, Mr. Ellington is second in command of the Operation portfolio of the JCF. Mr. Frater, who was one of the top investigators at Operation Kingfish, has replaced retired ACP George Williams at the CIB Headquarters in downtown Kingston.
Redeployed senior officers
Commissioner of Police Lucius Thomas on Monday announced the redeployment of senior members of the force, effective June 5.
Superintendent Harry Daley moves to St. Catherine North from the Area 4 Command to become the Divisional Commander.
Superintendent Kenneth Wade is transferred from the St. Catherine North Division to Mobile Reserve.
Senior Superintendent Paul Ferguson currently in charge of the Caribbean Search Centre at Twickenham Park moves to the Area 4 Command.
Superintendent Lenval Hutton currently at Mobile Reserve takes over at the Search Centre.
Assistant Superintendent Dave Hyman is reassigned from the St. Catherine North Division to Clarendon.
The reassignments, Commissioner Thomas said, were done "in order to facilitate the growth and mobility" of officers within the Jamaica Constabulary Force. Mr. Thomas also said that the transfers, which are a normal part of police life, came after carefully assessing the needs of the respective areas and divisions at this time.
