Police Commissioner Leslie James has finally proceeded on pre-retirement leave which will last for nine months and will lead him straight into retirement.
This was confirmed by caretaker Public Security Ministry, Khemraj Ramjattan.
Ramjattan told this publication that the Top Cop, who has over 300 days of leave accumulated during his service to the Guyana Police Force, made the request himself to proceed on leave and it was granted.
The Minister went on to say that James, during his tenure at the helm of the Police Force, performed “excellently and did a remarkable job in keeping the peace during the tense and stressful times of elections.”
James is said to have some 307 days accumulative leave.
He will reach 55, the retirement age for Public Servants, in April 2021, which means he should have gone off on pre-retirement leave since June 28.
James joined the Police Force in 1987, and was appointed Top Cop in May 2018 following the retirement of former Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud.
With James now on leave, Deputy Commissioner Nigel Hoppie will be acting in the position of Top Cop.
Meanwhile, time is also winding down for Deputy Commissioner, Maxine Graham, to also follow suit on pre-retirement leave. However, this is yet to be finalized.
Graham will turn 55 in November. She also has accumulated approximately 172 days’ leave and should have been sent on pre-retirement leave since June 11.
Asked about her status, Ramjattan said, “I’m still to give that a thought. She’s also a Deputy Commissioner and I’ve asked the PS (Permanent Secretary) to work out how much more accumulated leave she has. That should be done by Monday.”
Also with 33 years of Service under her belt now, Graham was the lone female among four new Deputy Commissioners appointed by President Granger back in August 2018.
