Six Police Officers have officially taken their boss, Commissioner of Police, Winston James to court to challenge the recent  promotions within the Royal Grenada Police Force (RGPF).

The police officers have been granted leave by high court judge, Justice Claire Henry for judicial review of the decision taken by the Commissioner and the Police High Command not to promote them earlier in the year.

The disgruntled lawmen have hired a battery of lawyers to fight the case -- Lloyd Noel, Dr. Francis Alexis, Ruggles Ferguson and Cajeton Hood. Among the Police Officers who have openly challenged the promotions are Chief Police Prosecutor, Inspector Vanney Curwen, as well as Sergeants Byron Clyne, Malcolm Joseph, and Sheila Andall.

Police Commissioner Winston James is the first respondent in the suit filed in the Supreme Court Registry, while the Public Service Commission (PSC) is the second respondent. All six middle rank police officers are unhappy over being left out of the batch of policemen who received promotions in July.

Another batch of Police Officers are also said to be talking to lawyers in the country to seek judicial review of their omission and to challenge in open court the decision of Commissioner James to leave them out of the promotions. That matter was expected to be heard by Justice Henry this week.

Word of the impending challenge to the promotions was first made public by Commissioner James during a promotions ceremony which took place at Fort George. He told the assembled officers: "While you (the promoted Police Officers) are here this morning to receive your letter of appointment (from the Public Service Commission), there are those outside there who are gathering evidence to take action against me and other persons because they were not promoted."

The angry Police Officers are said to be upset over the manner in which they were by-passed for promotion since they did exceptionally well in the exams. The officers are claiming that the Chief Cop failed to comply with the Police Promotions Regulations made pursuant to the Police Act (Cap. 244) of the 1990 Revised Laws of Grenada in that he failed to publish/or cause to be published in the Force Orders the names of the successful candidates at the promotions exams in keeping with Section 7 (3) of the Promotions Regulations,.

In addition, the six police officers through their lawyers are contending that Commissioner James failed to compile or cause to be compiled a promotions list in order of merit, in keeping with Section 8 of the Promotions Regulations. Sources with RGPF have alleged that several police officers were overlooked for promotion due to a perception that some of them might be supporters of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).

In recent years, the RGPF hierarchy has come in for heavy criticisms for allegedly basing promotions on political grounds. Among those who received promotions are two of Prime Minister Dr. Keith Mitchell's special security detail, Anthony Jones and Bernard Nelson. Jones was promoted to the rank of ASP, while Nelson is an Inspector of Police.

Also promoted was Tafawa Pierre, the husband of Minister of Youth, Senator Emmalin Pierre. ASP Jones was one of the officers who accompanied Prime Minister Mitchell on the controversial trip to Switzerland in June 2000 in which the Grenadian leader allegedly accepted a bribery payment of US$500, 000.00 from imprisoned con-man Eric Resteiner in exchange for a diplomatic posting.

Dr. Mitchell has denied the claim, saying that he accepted "approximately US$15, 000" from Resteiner to help cover the cost of his investment mission that was touring Europe and Kuwait.

Commissioner James sought to justify the latest set of promotions which took effect on July 9 by saying that the men under his ranks who were overlooked should understand that there are limited spaces as far as promotions are concerned, "and everyone cannot be promoted at the same interval."

The disgruntled Police Officers regard the decision not to promote them as unfair, irrational and inconsistent with the criteria laid down for promotion within the force.