Court Orders Fresh Assessment for Six Police Officers

The Full Story

Six police constables have won another stage of a long-running challenge to how their promotion examinations were assessed. Justice Westmin James ordered the Promotion Advisory Board to recalculate their scores using the 2007 criteria and reassess their places on the merit list within 60 days, the Guardian reports. The officers passed qualifying examinations between 2010 and 2015. Their case concerns which assessment rules should apply when an employer takes years to process promotions. The court did not order the six to be made corporals, and it said existing promotions would not be undone.

Sources: Trinidad Guardian, 24 Oct ↗

A 2024 judgment found undue delay in the board’s consideration of the officers and directed reconsideration under the proper criteria. The Court of Appeal dismissed a challenge to that outcome. The officers then brought a second case, arguing that the later reassessment again applied a newer departmental order rather than the tiered scheme in place when they qualified. James accepted that the renewed exercise of public power could be scrutinised separately. He rejected their separate request to be ranked only with the officers who qualified at the same time, noting earlier compensation for that lost opportunity.

Sources: Trinidad Guardian, 24 Oct ↗

The board must now recalculate the marks, update the merit list and use the amended list for future promotions. A High Court master may separately consider whether further compensation is due. Those are distinct steps: correcting a score does not guarantee a promotion or damages. The six officers and the commissioner’s office took different positions on the applicable scheme, but the published account does not include the complete judgment or the board’s revised calculations. A useful follow-up will compare the eventual list with the order and check whether the board meets its deadline.

Sources: Trinidad Guardian, 24 Oct ↗

Evidence and Context

The case shows how a delay can turn an examination dispute into a broader question of fair administration. The measurable test is whether the board applies the specified 2007 criteria consistently and completes the new exercise on time.

Other officers may watch how the corrected merit list affects future vacancies, but the judgment expressly protects promotions already made. The decision may also encourage clearer publication of assessment rules and reasons for future promotion rounds.

What Happens Next

Check the written order and the board’s new merit list after the 60-day period. Separately check the master’s decision on compensation and any further appeal before describing the matter as concluded.