Bailey, Blake tipped to succeed Anderson as police chief
Published:Sunday | March 3, 2024 | 12:16 AM
Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCP) Dr Kevin Blake and Fitz Bailey are among the leading contenders to succeed Major General Antony Anderson, whose contract as head of the Jamaican police force expires this month.
Anderson, a former army head, first took the top job on a three-year contract on March 18, 2018. It was renewed for another three years in 2021.
Yesterday, National Security Minister Dr Horace Chang told The Sunday Gleaner that Anderson has not said he would like to continue as the nation’s chief constable.
“He has not indicated that he’ll renew it,” Chang said of the contract, adding that “discussions” are still under way.
“The police is a paramilitary organisation. I expect the commission would look at the personnel in the service who are next in line, but I can’t say where they are with that yet,” the minister said, referring to the Police Service Commission (PSC).
The next group of officers would be the DCPs, Chang said.
The Sunday Gleaner first sought an update on January 22 from the Office of the Services Commissions (OSC) on any potential change in the leadership of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF).
In its latest response on February 16, the OSC said it required an additional 30 days to process the request under the Access to Information Act.
The OSC is the secretariat for the Professor Gordon Shirley-chaired PSC, the state body that recommends the appointments or promotions of members of the police force of and above the rank of inspector.
In the meantime, there has been concern among the top brass of the JCF about the perceived absence of definitive word on the changes to the leadership. There is also the view that a JCF member should be given the opportunity, an acknowledgement of the strong sentiments against an external appointment.
Interviews for the new police commissioner are reportedly due to start as early as this week and sources say all four DCPs have been invited.
The DCPs are Dr Kevin Blake, who heads the force’s development and logistics portfolio; Clifford Blake, who leads strategic operations; Richard Stewart, who is in charge of administration and support services; and Fitz Bailey, who heads crime and security.
Bailey is expected to retire soon but there have been talks about whether he could be offered a post-retirement contract, sources say.
Clifford Blake has been previously overlooked for the top position, while Stewart is seen as a “steady hand” in administration.
Dr Blake’s work on technological and other systems change in the force, including helping the JCF achieve ISO 9001, an international standard for quality management system, has earned him favourable consideration from key members of the Holness administration.
The tier below DCPs is made up of assistant commissioners and one member, McArthur Sutherland, who leads the Inspectorate and Professional Standards Oversight Bureau, an internal oversight body, is also being mentioned.
The Jamaican authorities will have to ensure that the United States is comfortable with the pick, Sunday Gleaner sources noted.
DIFFICULT JOB
While Anderson has been praised for his work in boosting the force’s technological and investigative capabilities, there are concerns that he has been “too slow” to facilitate the promotion of persons to senior ranks. Questions of succession planning, especially for the crime portfolio, have also emerged.
A police commissioner has operational responsibility for the JCF.
As Anderson is on contract, his $18 million salary package up to April 2021 was negotiated.
Under the new public sector compensation structure, over the three-year period, April 2022 to March 2025, the minimum annual basic salary for a commissioner moved move from $16 million to $18 million and will jump to about $20.8 million effective April 1, 2024.
Anderson’s tenure has seen a focus on improving the force’s public communication; welfare boost for cops; targets on criminal gangs; and crucially, the introduction of zones of special operations and the widespread, controversial use of rights-curtailing states of emergency in normal policing.
A new police commissioner will take up one of the most difficult public jobs amid the struggle to reduce Jamaica’s homicide rate of close to 55 per 100,000 – among the world’s highest.