Moncherry, who served as Commissioner from 2016 to 2021, says promises made by the former Chastanet-led Administration to him were not kept. In his detailed account of the events, Moncherry recounts his transition from Commissioner to Special Advisor.
“I’ve been hearing for a long time that I refused positions and it is my fault for a lot of stuff. In July of 2020, I was on vacation leave and I was called to a meeting with the Minister [of National Security; then Hermangild Francis],” Moncherry explained. At the time, he was on eight-month vacation leave and returned to work in September 2020. He continues, “...I met with the Minister and Mr. Desir. He told me that I’ll be transferred to his office as his legal advisor and Mr. Desir would be made Commissioner. I welcomed it with open arms. I was told I’d be transferred on promotion to Grade 21 to his office.” Currently, the post of Police Commissioner is Grade 20, while the post of Special Advisor (Security) is Grade 21.
According to Moncherry, however, the circumstances of his appointment changed just two weeks later. “Two weeks later I was summoned to a meeting with the Minister and the Cabinet Secretary, Mr. Ben Emmanuel. I was told it would be political suicide if I was transferred on promotion. So the new plan was for me to retire forthwith and be given a contract to work within the Minister’s office. I was promised I was going to be transferred on promotion. This was not what we discussed,” he detailed. “I had a meeting with the Prime Minister [then Allen Chastanet] and the Attorney General [then Stephen Julien]. At that meeting, it was agreed that I would be transferred to the Prime Minister’s Office as his special advisor on crime and security.”
The Former Police Commissioner’s account of the events contradicts those of Hermangild Francis’, who had said Moncherry “refused positions” on a local radio show. This revelation comes against the backdrop of the reinstatement of Cruscita Descartes-Pelius as Police Commissioner who Francis heavily criticised and deems “ does not have the acumen of being Commissioner”. Prime Minister Pierre stated that Pelius’ one-year stint would allow for the training of a future successor for the police force.