A unanimous House of Representatives supported the appointment of veteran police office Allister Guevarro to become the new commissioner of police (CoP), at the house's first working session for the new government on June 13. This comes after the expiration of the term of former CoP Erla Harewood-Christopher and amid the current acting tenure of Junior Benjamin, the latter who would soon revert to his substantive post of deputy commissioner. Guevarro has had 27 years in the police service, largely in Special Branch. Minister of Homeland Security Roger Alexander, himself a former police supt, moved the motion for the house to consider Guevarro, as nominated by President Christine Kangaloo on the advice of the Police Service Commission (PSC). In moving the motion, Alexander's presentation was somewhat laboured, but in it he praised Guevarro's service, dedication and astute leadership qualities. However, by the time of his wrap-up, he was relaxed enough to pause a couple of times to laugh at the opposition's barbs against him, buoyed up by Local Government Minister Khadijah Ameen nearby telling him, "Don't worry about them." Arouca/Lopinot MP Marvin Gonzalez led the opposition's reply to Alexander's motion. He tried to ask the government if they might consider changing the process to appoint a CoP. However House Leader Barry Padarath rose to object on grounds of questioning Gonzalez's relevance to the motion – that is the president's notification of Guevarro to become new CoP. Speaker Jagdeo Singh said he too had wondered about Gonzalez's relevance and he urged both sides to stick to the question at hand, that is Guevarro's nomination. Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar in her contribution noted all the advice, hopes and dreams now expressed by the opposition but wondering where these sentiments had been for their past nine years in office. Lamenting murders, home invasions and cases of extortion, she said she would now leave Gonzalez in dream land. She hit the former government's record despite it having had spent $66 billion on national security. Diego Martin Central MP Symon de Nobriga objected by citing standing order 48(1) which insists on a contribution having relevance. Singh asked the MP to exactly state which section of the standing order he meant to cite. De Nobriga repeated "relevance," after which Padarath jumped in to the fray. Singh urged all, "Calm down!" Persad-Bissessar continued. She was challenged by Gonzales, and then about by about eight interruptions by Diego Martin North East MP Colm Imbert questioning her relevance. Singh said Persad-Bissessar could have a "run up" to frame her question, but one typical of a spin bowler not Mike Holder's pace bowling, as he used a cricket analogy. Port of Spain South Keith Scotland hailed the leadership qualities of Guevarro, saying through the speaker that poor policing could result in the freeing of suspects on technical grounds. He then dubbed Minister of Legal Affairs Saddam Hosein "an interloper" in his Port of Spain south constituency. When Singh asked him to withdraw, Scotland said, "I withdraw the description as an interloper." A half-smiling Attorney General John Jeremie in his contribution warned opposition MPs that the government was considering the investigation and prosecution of white collar crime. The order paper originally also had a motion to name Wayne Mystar as an acting deputy commissioner of police, but this motion was not debated in the House.