Governor on Hiring Islanders for Top Spots 

Dana Malcolm 

Staff Writer 

#TurksandCaicos, May 20, 2024 – Multiple restructuring exercises in areas of National Security and Justice have taken place since the arrival of Dileeni Daniel Selvaratnam, TCI Governor, she’s now explaining why locals weren’t chosen for certain top spots and how she’s working to make sure they are in the future.

“In terms of the commissioner post, what Edvin Martin brings is a depth of experience,” said Daniel-Selvaratnam while speaking on First Edition aired on RTC FM with Cheryl Foreman and Zhavargo Jolly.  She was referring to Edvin Martin, Commissioner of Police, who was brought in from Grenada in April.  Before Martin, UK officers were utilized for the top cop job for over a decade.

”It is about succession planning and how we are driving a pipeline of talent but the most important part of that is exposure,” Daniel-Selvaratnam stressed that with the rapidly changing criminal landscape experienced officers were necessary.  “We want our talented individuals to go into different environments, see different contexts of policing, different experiences, and bring that back as part of their development.”

The Governor maintained that Martin could bring that experience to talented officers in the Turks and Caicos, citing his regional criminal experience as well as his experience battling guns during his time at the CARICOM Crime Gun Intelligence Unit.

”He presented a depth of experience that could benefit us in terms of what we’re dealing with, so when you’ve got that depth of experience and a level of [local] talent, that could really help drive the Turks and Caicos.”

His experience with increasing efficiency and driving talent in Grenada was also a factor in his employment in the Turks and Caicos.  Daniel-Selvaratnam maintained that it was now the commissioner’s responsibility to groom TC Islanders in that respect.

The governor maintained that a similar process had been undertaken in the hiring of the new Director of Public Prosecutions where she was focused on bringing in a true leader that would drive change in the judicial system.

“There’s a lot between the DPP and how they are bringing up talent- in terms of the police in case preparation so that we’re not losing cases down to technicalities; in terms of how evidence is handled- but then also working with the judiciary and the defense council so that we are not looking at delays in listings and hearings.”

The issues highlighted are well documented in the Turks and Caicos’ justice system with too few prosecutors, a backlog of cases, and evidence issues causing cases to be dropped or thrown out completely.

The man hired for that turnaround job is Phillip Bennetts KC.

“He is someone who comes from the crown prosecution service in the UK and again has done a lot in that wider criminal justice partner work to drive efficiencies and effectiveness,” Daniel-Selvaratnam said.

The governor stressed that it was her intention to have a succession plan with locals heading to top positions before the end of her two-year tenure.