LIEUTENANT Colonel Ennis Grant has been appointed as the first commanding officer of the TCI Regiment.

The veteran police officer and TC Islander has already started in the new role and is working with, and being mentored by, the UK military.

"We were fortunate to have had such a well-qualified candidate apply,” a press release from the Office of the Governor said on Thursday (June 11).

Grant currently commands the Maritime Branch of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police and the Cadet Force, and has links with the US Coast Guard and UK military.

He will spend the first year of his appointment on secondment from the force.

In the coming months as the TCI Regiment forms, Grant will develop relationships with his counterparts in the Bahamas, Cayman Islands and Bermuda.

The regiment will have two primary roles.

The first is to be in direct support of the Maritime Police, in a role very similar to that being conducted by the Royal Marines during this period.

And also, to provide a contingent force capable of preparing and supporting the Islands at time of a natural or other disaster.

"Beyond those operational roles the regiment, its ethos and its character, will develop into a proud symbol of the Turks and Caicos Islands,” the release said.

"Lt Col Grant - as its first commanding officer - will set the tone of this early and important period in the regiment’s formation.”

Positions for the five further permanent staff who will join Grant in setting up the regiment will now be advertised.

Some of these posts will involve training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst starting in September.

The 40 reserve (part-time) posts - the non-commissioned officers and marines - of the regiment, will be recruited later in the year.

Shortlisted candidates will be assessed over several days drawing on the methodology used by the UK’s Army Officer Selection Board.

This includes physical assessment, written communication, led and leaderless command tasks, interviews and the ability to plan and conduct a detailed appreciation of a complex task.

"Candidates should expect to be under some physical and mental pressure throughout. We hope the best in TCI will apply,” the Office of the Governor said.

"We are looking for leadership potential that can be developed, so no one should be discouraged from putting their name forward for lack of experience. Training will be excellent.”

The selection process will be overseen by the new commanding officer of the TCI Regiment and UK military staff who have, themselves, been instructors at Sandhurst.