Commissioner: I’m retiring this year

Police Commissioner Paul Rolle yesterday. Photo: Racardo Thomas/Tribune Staff

As of Tuesday, March 22, 2022

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

POLICE Commissioner Paul Rolle confirmed yesterday that he will be retiring from the police force this year after nearly 40 years of service, ending months of speculation about his future.

Commissioner Rolle made the revelation to reporters on the sidelines of a charitable event hosted by the RBPF yesterday.

The police chief said he plans to meet with Prime Minister Phillip “Brave” Davis on Thursday to inform him of his retirement plans.

“I met with the team this morning and I could say to you that I do intend to make my exit from the police force at some point. I will have 40 years and so I’m looking down the 40-year mark and I’ll make a decision on that in due course,” Commissioner Rolle said yesterday when asked about his future on the force.

Asked if he plans to leave the force this year or in 2023, he replied: “This year.”

He also said: “I have said that we all serve in the police force for 40 (years) and I’m nearing that time. I’m looking forward to that. I will meet with the prime minister on Thursday, and I guess I’ll have a conversation with him and let him know. I have discussed already with my family, basically my wife, and at some point, but you know I have some vacation and we will see how that goes.”

Rumours that Commissioner Rolle was leaving the police force surfaced late last year after the Davis administration took office.

However, the police chief dismissed the claims, telling reporters in December that he had no plans to leave the force any time soon.

“I’m 56 and the Police Act says you could work until you’re 60, and the Pension Act says 65,” he said during an OPM press briefing at the time.

It is widely expected that Deputy Commissioner Clayton Fernander will succeed Commissioner Rolle after he retires, however this has not been confirmed.

DCP Fernander is one of several senior officers who were controversially ordered to take vacation leave in 2019 under the Minnis administration.

The high-ranking officers were subsequently given assignments at different government ministries which they thought were beneath their roles and experience.

However, DCP Fernander and two other senior officers were returned to the frontlines of the force after the 2021 general election.

DCP Fernander served as acting police commissioner last week while Commissioner Rolle was out of the country on police business.

“Last week, I visited, at the invitation of the Crown Prince of Dubai, the World Police Summit that was held in Dubai and had an opportunity during this visit to look at some of the policing initiatives that they are doing there and also share some of what we are doing in The Bahamas,” Commissioner Rolle said yesterday of his trip.

“You know Dubai is only one of the countries in the United Arab Emirates and although they are making progress in development, there are things that we can learn from them and there are things that they can learn from us.

“But we also had persons there from Canada and the United Kingdom and the United States, all sharing information and so I have had an opportunity to look at their real crime time centre there in Dubai and the way things are done there,” he added.

moncurcool 2 years, 1 month ago

Why does the COP needs to tell people he is retiring? Just do it.

The bigger question though is when will we get a Prime Minister' s Act so that we can put a cap on the age when they need to retire?

It is rather hypocritical how all other government agencies have a retirement age, but yet for PM and GG we have no retirement age cap for them.

mandela 2 years, 1 month ago

Why go on a course that is to benefit the RBPF and then retire in a month? Seriously?

sheeprunner12 2 years, 1 month ago

Forty years ........ At some point, Govt needs to review this policy of how long these seniors can suck off the Treasury teat

tribanon 2 years, 1 month ago

And when we all thought we couldn't possibly ever get a police commissioner worse than Paul Rolle, we find ourselves having to digest the very real possibility that a complete moron like Clayton Fernander will become the next commissioner. Simply unbelievable!

xtreme2x 2 years, 1 month ago

HE MAY BE A BETTER brown NOSER Than the rest.

TalRussell 2 years, 1 month ago

If recruiting at University was open include non-citizen is being hailed, then shouldn't citizen-blind process be open to seeking applicants brung massive shift over at Royal Constabulary, ― Yes?

JokeyJack 2 years, 1 month ago

You mussy trying to get into trouble like the people who put a foreigner as president of UB. The Pindling "Bahamianization" thing went way to far, and is still with us today. We just don't want to learn from foreigners to improve ourselves, we know everything already and don't need no help. Garbage on the road? What garbage? I don't see any - LOL.

TalRussell 2 years, 1 month ago

Regardless, how recruiting be's it is time for a closer look at Comrade Sister Loretta as realm's first from duh female gender Commish, ― Yes?

ThisIsOurs 2 years, 1 month ago

This is utterly ridiculous. What are we doing?? Giving persons a post so they can get a nice pension? Why put someone in the seat who has no chance of executing a strategy? Can we please find a strategic thinker allow them to bring in some crack expertise from outside the organization, then pick the best among the force to form a senior team to get a handle on something. Traffic is a good start. Stop with promoting people "we like" or who grill for the party cookout. Please. People are dying needlessly... some from cars

In 5 years he couldnt stop people running red lights?

dwanderer 2 years, 1 month ago

On the topic of red lights, there is a red light in Freeport on a major thoroughfare that sits one block north of the Police headquarters. Cars consistently run this red light, even whilst the Police may be sitting in traffic nearby. I have yet to see a Police car pursue an offender for running the red light at this intersection.

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