Chief of Defence Staff Major Gen Kenrick Maharaj is to get a one-year extension as Cabinet yesterday agreed to increase the retirement age for members of the Defence Force by three years.
So said National Security Minister Gary Griffith during yesterday’s post-Cabinet news conference at the Office of the Prime Minister, St Clair.
Maharaj reaches his compulsory retirement age of 55 this month.
Griffith said: “Because of this, there would be the extension of service for Major General Kenrick Maharaj just for a period of one year.”
He said various officers in the Defence Force retired at age 45, 47, 50 and 55. He noted that under the existing requirement the Defence Force was losing “not just a few good men but many good men and women” because of the early retirement age.
Griffith noted that internationally, the compulsory retirement age was much higher as in some countries the retirement age was as high as 60 years for certain ranked officers.
He said the manpower strength of the army was being affected by the existing retirement age and the move was intended to “assist in dealing with the manpower shortage we have right now.”
He said the existing early retirement age may also discourage citizens from choosing a career in the army.
According to Griffith, there was a greater demand for the Defence Force in the wake of the crime situation in the country.
He said the role was “not just to protect us from external aggression but also as an aid to civil power and to support the police.”
Griffith added while it was unfortunate that there were about 16 murders in the first week of the year, in the past week there had only been about four or five.
He said the success was due to “the increased alert state, proper policing, good law enforcement and providing the deterrent.”
Griffith noted in 2014 the country had the lowest level of serious crimes in 31 years while five years before that it experienced the highest level in its history.
He said this year the Government would seek to “take away the perception and fear of crime.
“We intend to crack down on the homicide rate (which) is unacceptable,” he added.
He said the majority of the homicides were gang-related “so we know exactly where the problem lies. It means, however, that a law-abiding citizen is safer now than he/she has ever been in 31 years.”