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File photo: Police Service Commission (PSC) chairman, retired Justice Judith Jones.

A new commissioner of police (CoP) will be appointed by January 31, 2023, the Police Service Commission (PSC) said in a statement on Tuesday extending the recruitment process deadline.The PSC gave itself an extra month, in order to vet the nominees.

The statement said that on July 8, the PSC had anticipated the recruitment and selection process would be done by the end of 2022. But on Tuesday it said, “The commission has commenced the process of vetting of all candidates as is required under the applicable law and governing the process for the establishment of an order-of-merit list for the office of Commissioner of Police.

“Unfortunately this process is now not expected to be completed by the end of 2022.”Additional time has become necessary to ensure for a proper and in-depth security vetting of candidates.”

The statement said the PSC believed it needed another month to complete the process.”Accordingly, the commission has extended the date for the completion of the selection process…to January 31, 2023.

“The commission wishes to thank all its stakeholders for their interest in the recruitment process.”

Under the Constitution, when the CoP post is publicly advertised, applicants are screened by the PSC secretariat, excluding commissioners, after which an independent assessment centre creates a shortlist which is sent to the President, who sends it to Parliament.

On the last occasion, a high government official reportedly intercepted the handing-over of the shortlist from the PSC to the President, after which the PSC imploded creating a constitutional crisis until the current board was put in place.

Amid all of this, retired justice Stanley John made an inquiry into an alleged bribery racket for firearm user’s licences, based on initial findings by retired rear admiral Hayden Pritchard and retired snr supt Arthur Barrington.

Former CoP Gary Griffith’s tenure saw record grants of FULs. Subsequently recent reports have arisen of several business owners using their guns to turn the tables on bandits, fatally.

On May 5, PSC chairman retired justice Judith Jones told the Joint Select Committee (JSC) on Local Authorities, Service Commissions and Statutory Authorities that the PSC had faith in the Strategic Services Agency (SSA) to carry out security checks on candidates, would advertise the post by June and hoped to complete selection by year-end.

In a statement on July 8, the PSC said it had just done a performance appraisal of Griffith for his term of January-August 2021. Griffith had said an appraisal should be quicker, since if a substantive CoP died suddenly, the police service would have no CoP for a year.

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Slippers in hand, this man walks through the flood at Penal Rock Road on November 9. File photo/Marvin Hamilton

The Opposition Leader has said the PM is wrong to blame climate change for flooding disasters and extreme weather events, as there has only been a 0.5-degree change in the average temperature over the last 32 years.

Kamla Persad-Bissessar made the statement during the UNC’s Monday night Virtual Report.On Friday in Parliament, Dr Rowley said the cause of the recent flooding was excessively heavy rain which overwhelmed constructed pathways and watercourses.

Persad-Bissessar said the PNM had not done anything to address climate change for the last seven years, but was now blaming it for flooding disasters and extreme weather events.

“The data from our weather stations shows that the average temperature has increased by 0.5 degrees from 1990 to the present over 32 years. So to blame climate change is again false blaming.

“The average annual temperature was about 26.4 degrees Celsius in the years after 1990, and about 26.9 degrees Celsius in the last years before 2021. It has therefore increased only slightly by 0.5 per cent over the last 32 years.

“So the PNM may be hiding behind an excuse, as they always do.”She noted that the PM had not chosen to attend the UN climate change conference currently taking place in Egypt.

The Opposition Leader said the UNC would implement three funds to address climate change to prepare for the future: a climate trust fund; a national food security fund; and a national infrastructure fund.

The latest UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, Climate Change 2021: the Physical Science Basis, released on Friday, said emissions of greenhouse gases from human activities are responsible for approximately 1.1 degrees Celsius of warming since 1850-1900, and finds that averaged over the next 20 years, global temperature is expected to reach or exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming.

The UN said for 1.5 degrees C of global warming, there will be increasing heatwaves, longer warm seasons and shorter cold seasons. It said climate change has already been affecting temperatures, rainfall patterns, and sea levels, thus causing increased flooding, changes in hurricane and monsoon precipitation, flooding in inland and coastal areas, more frequent heatwaves and ocean warming, among other effects.

The Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre said as a result of climate change, the Caribbean will experience more frequent and more severe hurricanes and tropical storms; a longer dry season and a shorter rainy season, affecting agriculture and the food supply; a rise in sea levels and coastal flooding, and an increased likelihood of storm surges; intense rain and flash floods; an increase in temperatures; and environmental degradation.

Couva North MP Ravi Ratiram criticised the PM for saying the Social Development and Family Services Ministry continued to work with MPs and councillors to provide temporary food relief to those who have lost food supplies as a result of flooding, which Ratiram said was not happening.

He said the flooding could have been prevented if the government had cleaned watercourses, rivers, and outfall drains.

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When national netballer, Tonisha Rock-Yaw, played against St Lucia at the Americas Federation of Netball Association (AFNA) Qualifiers on October 17 in Kingston, Jamaica, it took her back to 12 years ago when she made her debut.

In 2010, a then 16-year-old Tonisha made her debut on the national senior team against her ‘mother country’ St Lucia, and unfortunately despite the valiant efforts of the Barbados Gems, they lost by one goal.

However, fast forward to 2022 – just over a decade later – the team emerged victorious. It was a momentous occasion for the 29-year-old who simultaneously celebrated her 50th international cap.

“Funnily, I’m part St Lucian as well and when I got my 50th cap, it against team St Lucia and also when I played in my first game in 2010, when I first made the national team, it was at the same netball qualifiers for the World Cup and St Lucia beat us by one goal I believe it was.

“So getting my 50th cap I started with a loss against St Lucia…and fast forward 12 years later, I’m reaching my 50th against team St Lucia and we won convincingly.

“I was so excited. I think I did a dance afterwards,” Tonisha told Loop with a chuckle.

From the time she was a ‘tot’, Tonisha was surrounded by netball, thus her love for the sport was fostered.

She played throughout primary and secondary school, representing the national team from when she was 15 years. She was a member of the Under-16 team, the Under-21 team and then the Senior team. Tonisha also received a netball scholarship to Bedes Senior School in East Sussex, England where she completed her secondary school education.

Throughout her sporting career, she has created a list of several goals for herself and achieving her 50th international cap is just another one ticked.

“I was in the sport for so many years. My goal was in the Under-16 team, 21-team and senior team and also I wanted to have at least 50 caps in my netball career. I didn’t want to end my netball career below 50 and I reached my goal,” Tonisha told Loop.

Tonisha Rock-Yaw at the 2019 Netball World Cup.

Achieving her 50th international cap doesn’t mean Tonisha is finished. The national player humbly reflected that she was grateful and lucky to reach this height, representing Barbados internationally, going across the continent to as far as Australia – all while injury-free. She noted that she was looking forward to playing ‘catch up’ with the likes of Barbados Gems team captain, Latonya Blackman, who has over 174 international caps.

“I still have a long way to go to get that. I don’t know if I’m going to ever reach that part of my career but it is a start for me. Hopefully, I can get a 100,” she expressed bright-eyed.

“…I’m still young and I don’t think it is time for me to finish and I want to keep pushing and striving for excellence every time I go on the court and I think that has gotten me this far. Right now, I’m at my 56th cap,” she added.

As a defender, Tonisha played a critical role in the Barbados Gems securing a spot for the 2023 Netball World Cup. Her next goal is to see the team reclaim its former glory as one of the Top 10 across the world.

“I want to see the team reach at least Top 10 again. I want to get back there again. It is a good sign for netball that we are still in the lead. We are still able to perform at high levels,” she indicated.

Barbados currently ranks 14th worldwide, and after an embarrassing defeat in the Qualifiers against Jamaica, they rebounded when they faced Antigua and Barbuda to secure their trip to South Africa.

All that is next for the ladies is to “train hard” and “keep netball alive” in Barbados.

Speaking of keeping netball alive, there have been times when Tonisha thought of quitting the sport.

As a journalist at the island’s leading radio station – Starcom Network – it was difficult to juggle being a professional player and also a media practitioner.

Both careers are occupations that call for discipline, commitment and long nights.

“As a media professional, it is hard already as it is with work. The many hours you have to put in, then having to balance and leave work many days and rush to netball training – you are already tired from work and you have to train – it was difficult and I wanted to give up,” Tonisha told Loop.

Her mother, Antonia Rock, a former netball player, kept her on the straight and narrow. When she wanted to call it quits, her mother pushed her to keep going.

“There some times in my studies and stuff that I wanted to give up because training wasn’t allowing me to study and remain focused. My mom pushed me a lot to try.”

When Tonisha isn’t chasing a story, she’s chasing a ball at the Gymnasium. But she shared nothing beats the swell of pride in her chest when she wears her national uniform and sees the Barbados flag raised at an international game or when a child says ‘Tonisha is my favourite player!’

“I do it for the love of my country and I do it for the love of my sport so putting on blue and yellow and going out there and saying I am from Barbados and I am representing Barbados, There is no incentive in netball at all, so it’s not to say I am doing it for money or anything. I am just doing it for the love of my sport. A majority of netballers are doing it because they love the country and they love the sport and there is nothing outside of that.”

“I always feel proud when my name is called. They say ‘Team Barbados’ and ‘Tonisha Rock-Yaw: Centre’ and my name is called out.

“It is so humbling and it is so relieving to see your hard work. You actually get to see it when you get on court,” she told Loop.

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Métiers de l’industrie Lycée Joseph Zobel • G.MA.

Pendant la semaine de l’industrie, l’association “Elles bougent” organise le 23 novembre une visite de chantier à Baie-Mahault afin de faire découvrir aux jeunes étudiantes, collégiennes, lycéennes le métier de ” Responsable d’activité “.

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