Ministerial Statement by the Minister of National Security, The Hon. Wayne M. Caines, JP, MP
Mr. Speaker, on Wednesday May 30th, 2018, in accordance with Section 87 of the Bermuda Constitution Order 1968, which grants the Governor responsibility for any business of the Bermuda Police Service; His Excellency the Governor John Rankin announced that he has appointed Chief Superintendent Stephen Corbishley, to succeed Mr. Michael DeSilva as Bermuda's next Commissioner of Police.
Mr. Speaker, the Governor is responsible for operational policing. This means that he has direct managerial responsibility, oversight and operational control over the Bermuda Police Service. Therefore, His Excellency also has overall control of the Commissioner of Police.
Mr. Speaker, the appointment of the Commissioner of Police is the sole responsibility of the Governor and there is no requirement or obligation to consult the Government.
Mr. Speaker, this appointment was made following an open recruitment process in line with international best practice for selecting Chief Officers. There were 6 candidates. Of the 3 who were Bermudian, 1 was a Superintendent and 2 were Assistant Commissioners. There was a panel of 5 interviewers. The Governor granted my request to select 2 of the 5 people on the interview panel.
Mr. Speaker, to be clear, I am concerned that the Police Commissioner did not come from the rank and file of the Bermuda Police Service. Based on the lack of a suitably qualified Bermudian, we must challenge the Governor's oversight and management of the leadership of the BPS and this sentiment is not directed at the current Governor. There were also obviously failings by the current Commissioner and his Human Resources Manager, in the areas of leadership, talent management and succession planning.
Mr. Speaker, it must be noted that under the previous Government, during the period from 2012 until 2017, the Bermuda Police Service, like most other government departments, endured a season of significantly reduced resources and budget cuts. As with most Government departments, the first budget line that was sliced was training, which included overseas attachments and training. Because of the decrease in the budget, staffing levels were also reduced.
Mr. Speaker, during the period from 2012 to 2017, the staffing level in the BPS fell from 460 to now 400. This is a 13 percent reduction, a significant decline, in an organization charged with keeping Bermuda safe for both residents and visitors.
Mr. Speaker, you cannot expect stellar performance and development, without investment and training.
Mr. Speaker, I read the comments of the Shadow Minister for National Security with interest and noted their almost concurrent release with the Governor's announcement. The distinction between this Government and the One Bermuda Alliance is that we are determined to build capacity among our people. We cannot simply leave succession planning to chance. Our institutions require a deliberate approach and constructive ministerial leadership, to ensure that Bermudians are always equipped to assume these senior roles.
Mr. Speaker, every Government entity should have a succession plan where young Bermudians see real examples that prove that they can come into these organisations as apprentices or trainees, and over time grow and develop so well that one day they can hold the top job. Anything else is a failure!
Mr. Speaker, we believe that the Governor must make it a clear priority for the new Commissioner to identify, highlight, train and develop high fliers in the BPS and implement a comprehensive career development plan to ensure that at the end of his 5 year contract, in the summer of 2023; a Bermudian is ready to lead the BPS.
Mr. Speaker, the Bermuda Police Service is at a critical stage and an intervention is needed. 68% of the officers at the rank of inspector or above will reach the mandatory retirement age in the next 4 years, meaning by 2022.
Mr. Speaker, this is not the first time that a non-Bermudian has been appointed to this role. However, the appointment of a non-Bermudian Commissioner was not an issue for 14 years, following the appointment of Commissioner Frederick Bean in 1981. This matter sparked to life in late 1994 when COP Lennett Edwards announced his retirement and Mr. Colin Coxall (Thames Valley Police/City of London Police) was appointed as Commissioner in 1995. Between 1995 and late 2000 we had two non-Bermudian Police Commissioners. Since then, we've had 18 uninterrupted years of Bermudian Commissioners - Johnathan Smith, George Jackson and Michael Desilva.
Mr. Speaker, any appointment of a non-Bermudian Commissioner is bound to be contentious. Some will support it; some will not. The fact is that as long as the appointment is vested solely with the Governor, per Section 87 of our Constitution, there is little influence anyone or any other statutory body can inject. The appointment is solely, I repeat solely, at the Governor's discretion.
Mr. Speaker, I would be remiss if I did not take this opportunity to thank the outgoing Commissioner of Police, Mr. Michael Desilva, for his 33 years of service to the people of Bermuda. We wish him Godspeed, good health and happiness as he enters the next chapter of his life.
Mr. Speaker, the BPS must now move forward and I will now highlight some of the exciting and encouraging plans that are already in place to help the new Commissioner achieve the goal of preparing and appointing a Bermudian Commissioner of Police by 2023.
Mr. Speaker, we are changing the paradigm of the BPS. There is a gap between operational and strategic planning. Many of the senior officers have not been given the opportunity to develop in the area of strategic leadership. Bermudians must be given the exposure to these disciplines so that in 5 years, they are ready to lead. This will must be accomplished by a combination of overseas attachments, training, courses and they must act in senior command positions, including strategic roles.
Mr. Speaker, the BPS has 5 police cadets who graduated from the Bermuda College and will be joined by 7 more recruits in September 2018. This will give the BPS a cadre of 12 police cadets who can start to develop into the next wave of constables, introducing new blood into the service.
Mr. Speaker, the BPS will also boost its ranks by taking on 25 new recruits in April 2019. The BPS will also soon introduce, for the first time, a number of Specialist Civilian Posts, in areas such as Crime Scene Investigators (CSI), Intelligence Officers and Financial Investigators. We will conduct a specialist police recruit course, where professionals in specific disciplines will be recruited for their areas of specialty.
Mr. Speaker, whilst the announcement of a new Commissioner is important; introducing a training, leadership and succession plan for high fliers in the BPS sets a clear expectation for the Governor; it gives the new Commissioner a clear mandate; and it sends a message to all officers from Police Cadet all the way up the ranks; that they can come into this organization, be well trained and one day hold the top job. Anything else is a failure.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker