Former soldier and police commissioner, Colonel Trevor MacMillan, is to be named the new minister of national security, the Sunday Observer has been reliably informed.
MACMILLAN. has more than two decades of knowledge and expertise in the area of crime management and security
According to a highly placed source, the decision to appoint MacMillan was finalised at a meeting yesterday attended by Prime Minister Bruce Golding.
"It will be discussed at the Cabinet meeting on Monday, after which an announcement will be made," said the source, who asked for anonymity.
According to the source, a Government senator will be asked to resign in order that MacMillan can be appointed to the Upper House and thereby take up the ministerial appointment.
The Government has 13 of the 21 senators in the House.
MacMillan will replace Derrick Smith who has been recuperating from surgery, but who has been consistently criticised as not being up to speed with the demands of the job. It was not clear where Smith will be placed.
More than 500 murders have been committed in the country so far this year and last month 119 homicides were recorded.
On Thursday, the Government, facing increasing criticism for seeming lethargy in the face of rising crime, announced a raft of new and old measures to c****at the problem.
Among them were the immediate implementation of cordons and searches, curfews, vehicle checks and, in general, a zero tolerance approach to all illegal activities.
Asked whether the decision to pull Smith from the ministry was made in response to the criticisms, the source said it was more a matter of putting in charge, someone with better knowledge of police and military operations.
MacMillan, who has served as executive director of Security Advisory and Management Services Ltd, was commissioner of police between 1993 and 1996. Has more than two decades of knowledge and expertise in the area of crime management and security.
His appointment as chief constable broke with tradition, given that he did not have any formal police training prior to the appointment.
MacMillan was appointed chairman of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica's Standing Committee on National Security (SCNS), effective November 25, 2005.
The SCNS comprises a cross section of representatives from various spheres of society, including the Ministry of National Security, the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), the National Crime Prevention Fund (Crime Stop) and other private sector interests.
Throughout the years, the crime committee has worked on several programmes, addressing issues related to crime and violence. Two major initiatives spearheaded by this committee have been the year-long series of Police Courtesy Weeks held in 2003 and the PSOJ/JCF Phone-in Programme, which was launched in 2002 and is ongoing.
Long before the 2007 general elections, MacMillan was appointed to the Senate by the then Opposition Jamaica Labour Party. However, he was not reappointed after the elections.
up2 said
08:55 05/11 2008
was expecting him to b given the ministry from the get go so its no surprise there.
good move in my book as smith did too soft fi deal wid d ting
Former soldier and police commissioner, Colonel Trevor MacMillan, is to be named the new minister of national security, the Sunday Observer has been reliably informed.
According to a highly placed source, the decision to appoint MacMillan was finalised at a meeting yesterday attended by Prime Minister Bruce Golding.
"It will be discussed at the Cabinet meeting on Monday, after which an announcement will be made," said the source, who asked for anonymity.
According to the source, a Government senator will be asked to resign in order that MacMillan can be appointed to the Upper House and thereby take up the ministerial appointment.
The Government has 13 of the 21 senators in the House.
MacMillan will replace Derrick Smith who has been recuperating from surgery, but who has been consistently criticised as not being up to speed with the demands of the job. It was not clear where Smith will be placed.
More than 500 murders have been committed in the country so far this year and last month 119 homicides were recorded.
On Thursday, the Government, facing increasing criticism for seeming lethargy in the face of rising crime, announced a raft of new and old measures to c****at the problem.
Among them were the immediate implementation of cordons and searches, curfews, vehicle checks and, in general, a zero tolerance approach to all illegal activities.
Asked whether the decision to pull Smith from the ministry was made in response to the criticisms, the source said it was more a matter of putting in charge, someone with better knowledge of police and military operations.
MacMillan, who has served as executive director of Security Advisory and Management Services Ltd, was commissioner of police between 1993 and 1996. Has more than two decades of knowledge and expertise in the area of crime management and security.
His appointment as chief constable broke with tradition, given that he did not have any formal police training prior to the appointment.
MacMillan was appointed chairman of the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica's Standing Committee on National Security (SCNS), effective November 25, 2005.
The SCNS comprises a cross section of representatives from various spheres of society, including the Ministry of National Security, the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), the National Crime Prevention Fund (Crime Stop) and other private sector interests.
Throughout the years, the crime committee has worked on several programmes, addressing issues related to crime and violence. Two major initiatives spearheaded by this committee have been the year-long series of Police Courtesy Weeks held in 2003 and the PSOJ/JCF Phone-in Programme, which was launched in 2002 and is ongoing.
Long before the 2007 general elections, MacMillan was appointed to the Senate by the then Opposition Jamaica Labour Party. However, he was not reappointed after the elections.