Mark Beckford, Staff Reporter

Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin, the former Chief of Staff of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), will become the new commissioner of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, confirming initial Gleaner reports that the ex-army man was favoured for the top post.

A source close to the Government told The Gleaner yesterday that Rear Admiral Lewin was chosen from a list of high-ranking applicants by the Police Service Commission (PSC).

The recommendation was passed to Governor-General Sir Kenneth Hall, Prime Minister Bruce Golding and Opposition Leader Portia Simpson Miller

"He (Lewin) was the unanimous choice of the PSC. He passed all tests with flying colours," a Gleaner source said.

The job of police commissioner became vacant when Lucius Thomas retired on October 10, having been in the post for just under three years. The appointment of Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin will be the second such appointment of an outsider to the top post in the police force. He follows in the footsteps of another ex-army man, Col. Trevor MacMillan, who served the JCF from 1993-1996.

Met with Opposition

The appointment of an outsider was earlier met with opposition from the main police interest groups, the Police Officers' Association (POA) and the Police Federation.

When contacted last night, chairman of the POA, Supt. Norman Heywood, declined to comment. He said he would await the formal announcement of the appointment. This could come as early as next Monday.

Superintendent Heywood also said that he would be meeting with his executive on the weekend to discuss the matter.

Lewin, who served the JDF for 35 years, will be faced with several stern challenges, mainly a rampant crime rate, which in recent weeks has been claiming the lives of several persons each day. The latest crime statistics indicate that at least 1,400 Jamaicans have been murdered since the start of the year.

mark.beckford@gleanerjm.com