Quallo seeks 800 vehicles; ministry promises 400
POLICE COMMISSIONER George Quallo has submitted a request for more than 800 vehicles for the police force, but permanent secretary in the Ministry of National Security Diane McIntosh has indicated that only half of that number could be accommodated in the 2018-19 budget.
McIntosh revealed yesterday at a meeting of the Public Administration and Appropriations Committee that the Ministry of Finance had requested a schedule of the current needs of the police in relation to vehicles.
“I am not sure that we can allocate enough to purchase 800 in (financial year) 2018-19,” said the permanent secretary, noting that efforts would be made to satisfy at least half of that demand in the upcoming financial year and the balance in the 2019-20 fiscal year.
At the same time, the committee was informed that 281 vehicles were being sourced for the police force using the emergency procurement process.
Of the total number of vehicles, 146 are motor cycles, 45 are new cars, and 91 are preowned cars.
Committee members asked McIntosh to investigate and provide a report on the 30 vehicles delivered by O’Brien’s International Car Rentals Limited, which was contracted to provide 200 pre-owned vehicles for the police. They are now embroiled in a controversy over the matter. The committee members claim that there have been allegations that the cars have been experiencing serious mechanical defects.
However, committee member Marisa Dalrymple Phillibert said that if those allegations were true, the police should submit a formal report to the Ministry of National Security.