The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Senior Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net 

POLICE Commissioner Paul Rolle issued letters yesterday to three Assistant Commissioners of Police – Clayton Fernander, Kendal Strachan and Leamond Deleveaux – that extends their “special assignment” at various government ministries for a further two years.

But according to their attorney, Wayne Munroe, ACP Fernander encountered a startled Permanent Secretary who did not know why he was there when he showed up to the Ministry of Health yesterday 

“This is all a continuation of the farce they started two years ago and a poor use of police resources,” Mr Munroe said. 

The three senior officers were among those who were directed to take vacation leave in 2019. Although the Minnis administration justified the vacation policy by citing fiscal measures, the officers have come to believe that the administration simply wanted to sideline them. 

When their vacation leave ended, they were sent on special assignments for a year. 

ACP Fernander was assigned to the Ministry of Health, ACP Deleveaux was assigned to the Ministry of Education and ACP Strachan was assigned to head security teams at juvenile schools. 

“The letter Fernander received (yesterday) said his special assignment has been extended for two years and he should report to the Permanent Secretary for further briefing,” Mr Munroe said. “He went there today and the Permanent Secretary said she don’t know why he was there. ACP Deleveaux tried to go to his ministry, but the person wasn’t there to see him.” 

One of the officers said yesterday that the treatment “is total disrespect”.

The officers have received a pay cheque while not physically reporting to their ministries, saying their posts would not require them to physically attend the positions to which they have been assigned. 

ACP Strachan filed a lawsuit in 2019 seeking to get a declaration from the Supreme Court that the forced leave he took was not vacation and that his transfer to the Ministry of Social Services was unlawful. This lawsuit is ongoing.