By KHRISNA RUSSELL
Deputy Chief Reporter
krussell@tribunemedia.net
NEARLY 70 Royal Bahamas Police Force officers were promoted to Chief Superintendent and Superintendent yesterday, in an exercise that is backdated to take effect from January 1.
According to a leaked memo of officers’ promotions, 23 officers were promoted to Chief Superintendent from Superintendent, while 45 officers rose to Superintendent from Assistant Superintendent.
Among them was the RBPF’s lead investigator in the trial of former Cabinet minister Shane Gibson. Deborah Thompson, attached to the Financial Crimes Unit, was promoted to the rank of Superintendent from Assistant Superintendent.
During the high-profile trial, she admitted that she was wrong to have jointly interviewed local businessman Jonathan Ash and Deborah Bastian to “synchronise” their claims against the former parliamentarian.
At the time, the police officer said in hindsight, she acted improperly in arranging to meet with both Mr Ash and Ms Bastian to “clear up the ambiguities” in their respective statements against the former labour minister.
Another notable promotion is that of press liaison officer Shanta Knowles from Superintendent to Chief Superintendent.
The promotions were outlined in a three-page internal memorandum bearing the signature and stamp of Police Commissioner Paul Rolle dated April 28. It noted that the decision was approved by Governor General C A Smith under the advice of the Police Service Commission.
Several attempts to reach Commissioner Rolle or National Security Minister Marvin Dames on the promotions were not successful. They did not return calls to this newspaper up to press time.
This new round of promotions comes a little over a week after three Chief Superintendents of the RBPF were promoted to the rank of Assistant Commissioner. The move was met with scrutiny.
Over the years, the ranks of Chief Superintendent and Superintendent saw massive increases, according to a 2018 manpower audit. That audit stated: “More disturbing is the fact that some posts, particularly the Chief Superintendent and Superintendent, have the exact same job descriptions which begs the question if positions are being arbitrarily created to allow for unjustifiable promotions.” From 2011 to 2017, both ranks saw an increase of 2,200 percent and 212 percent respectively and the report suggests they contributed to the force becoming top heavy.
It is unclear how these new promotions affect the RBDF’s current manpower complement as there is no indication of retirement numbers since the audit was conducted about two years ago.
“The entire vacant promotional process is flawed and in need of strategic guidance and vision to employ a new culture of accountability and transparency,” the 2018 manpower audit noted.
“For the rank of Chief Superintendent, the Force Orders (have) job descriptions for only 11 officers, as such, the other 12 persons which make up the 23 persons in this rank are performing the same duties they were prior to being promoted,” the audit noted.
Comments
DEDDIE 3 years, 11 months ago
This is the worst possible time to be given promotions to any public servant. The private sector that pays the public sector are losing jobs left and right and the powers that be thinks it is ok to increase the demand on the public purse at this time.
RealTalk 3 years, 11 months ago
Are you humane? Where is your heart? Where is your compassion? Do you have a soul?...
moncurcool 3 years, 11 months ago
Seriously?
Well_mudda_take_sic 3 years, 11 months ago
Yes, most seriously.
Minnis has just spit in the face of the Bahamian people, showing them who's the boss calling all the shots and now able to do whatever he wants to do. And if the Bahamian people don't like it, well that's just too damn bad! Furthermore, any Bahamian who doesn't behave and dares to get upperty now risks being locked up for a long time. Welcome all Bahamians, to the new police state you now live in!
Well_mudda_take_sic 3 years, 11 months ago
There can be no possible justification whatsoever for these promotions at a time like this when so many Bahamians are suffering and going without so much. These outrageous promotions were no doubt personally approved in advance by none other than Minnis himself. This is what tyrannical dictators do in police states like North Korea. Evil dictators always treat the armed forces in their country exceptionally well in order to curry favour with them and ensure their ongoing loyalty. I smell the scent of Red China's ruthless Xi Jinping communist regime on most of the decisions now being made by Minnis. We're in much deeper trouble than the covid-19 virus alone could ever have put us in. Hopefully the US government is very carefully monitoring what is going on here, right on its door step.
Diplomat 3 years, 11 months ago
Spot on.
TalRussell 3 years, 11 months ago
Clear observation where the compass points true north directional thinking the colony's comrade security minister most focused urgencies?
sweptaway 3 years, 11 months ago
Yeah don't let that NEMA money that was donated for the hurricane weary go to waste on the downtrodden !
DDK 3 years, 11 months ago
FIRE DA MAN. He is ramping up his protection. This is not funny anymore and should be viewed as a harbinger of things to come.
TalRussell 3 years, 11 months ago
Early moves rising authoritarian regimes is threefold...secure the support of its armed forces. as it restricts PopoulacesOrdinary society's freedom movement and speech. Nod once for yeah, twice for no?
johnd 3 years, 11 months ago
guess who just got raided well i guess mr ash will be supplying the booze for the party for all the new promotions
Clamshell 3 years, 11 months ago
Seriously? Just yesterday we read a story where the police force said they did not have the manpower to investigate a hit-and-run traffic death in which the police had access to CCV video, an eyewitness, and the killer’s license plate number and detailed description of the car.
No wonder they can’t solve a traffic homicide where they’ve been handed every single clue — everybody is now a supervisor, nobody’s a detective.
Does nobody in power recognize what a horror this has become?
TigerB 3 years, 11 months ago
I was very disturbed over the amount, It was Marvin who roasted Brave them for a big nasty promotion, branding it top heavy. usually it more promotions the lower the rank gets, which means it may be 60 A.S P's which is sick. Other govern't agencies like Immigration has had a promotion in 10 years or more
hrysippus 3 years, 11 months ago
Politics in this country is just one ongoing comedy show. I think we should give everyone else in the country a promotion as well.
bahamianson 3 years, 11 months ago
And when we run out of money to pay all of these pensions, increase in salaries, and perks, whom is going to do it? Are we just going to raise taxes? We can't keep increasing everything and expect the same population to absorb the cost. This is madness!!!
Well_mudda_take_sic 3 years, 11 months ago
A POEM FOR OUR NEW SUPREME RULER TO READ ON THE THINKING OF HIS PEOPLE:
Alas! and am I born for this, To wear this slavish chain? Deprived of all created bliss, Through hardship, toil and pain!
How long have I in bondage lain, And languished to be free! Alas! and must I still complain-- Deprived of liberty.
Oh, Heaven! and is there no relief This side the silent grave-- To soothe the pain--to quell the grief And anguish of a slave?
Come Liberty, thou cheerful sound, Roll through my ravished ears! Come, let my grief in joys be drowned, And drive away my fears.
Say unto foul oppression, Cease: Ye tyrants rage no more, And let the joyful trump of peace, Now bid the vassal soar.
Soar on the pinions of that dove Which long has cooed for thee, And breathed her notes from Afric's grove, The sound of Liberty.
Oh, Liberty! thou golden prize, So often sought by blood-- We crave thy sacred sun to rise, The gift of nature's God:
Bid Slavery hide her haggard face, And barbarism fly: I scorn to see the sad disgrace In which enslaved I lie.
Dear Liberty! upon thy breast, I languish to respire; And like the Swan unto her nest, I'd to thy smiles retire.
Oh, blest asylum--heavenly balm! Unto thy boughs I flee-- And in thy shades the storm shall calm, With songs of Liberty!
On Liberty And Slavery by George Moses Horton
TalRussell 3 years, 11 months ago
The very first time the phrase As a doctor, I know only too well that... was used by the colony's Comrade First amongst equals was during his very first address to the colony delivered via television on Wednesday, July 26, 2020...and here's .small sampling his very first promises to PopoulacesOrdinary as First amongst equals...
..."I am not going to sugarcoat the medicine that we are going to have to take to restore our fiscal good health. As a doctor, I know only too well that sometimes you need to deploy strong measures to get a patient’s fever to break as you seek to alleviate the symptoms and the underlying causes of ill health. There will be no renewal of contracts for emoluments which exceed $100,000 per year. To further reduce expenditure, we will reduce the number of government vehicles. Unlike the former head of government, I will be extraordinarily more vigilant in ensuring that my ministers adhere to their budgets and to financial constraints...We are in a new era of financial discipline. The former administration was addicted to luxury travel, often spending extraordinary sums of money on delegations traveling the world at great expense. We [[redshirts]] will reduce the amount of money spent on foreign travel by government officials."
What load &uckin# bullshit. Do stay tuned ma comrades cause I have lots more files containing First's promises?
OMG 3 years, 11 months ago
Madness. What this will cost the country now and particularily in the future is unfair to the working class.
TalRussell 3 years, 11 months ago
Ma comrade OMG, colony's current combined with actual paycheques working-class has been reduced down but 7.87 percent of adult PopoulacesOrdinary which is even wage income worst than when thousands our natives had set sail in sloops to leave shores colony to go seek work as farmhand Contract Fruit Pickers and laying railway tracks...with many remain in exile for rest their natural lives.
I posted often remind we selves not be so looking down on another country's nationalss forced to set sail sloops to escape financial hardships.
Clamshell 3 years, 11 months ago
“... colony's current combined with actual paycheques working-class has been reduced down but 7.87 percent of adult PopoulacesOrdinary which is even wage income worst than when thousands our natives had set sail in sloops to leave shores colony to go seek work ...”
Any Tal-to-English translators on duty? Thanx.
TalRussell 3 years, 11 months ago
Ma comrade Shell, I plead the KP fifth that you've willfully taken my post's comments out of context and conveyed an unintended message I never intended post.
Clamshell 3 years, 11 months ago
Hmmm ... I think I quoted you word-for-word. Precisely word-for-word.
TalRussell 3 years, 11 months ago
Well, what about KP's, word-for-wordsmith backtrackin'?
Clamshell 3 years, 11 months ago
https://www.grammar.com/">https://www.grammar.com/
TalRussell 3 years, 11 months ago
Hop on over grammeer.com see if they also offer support lessons on crown ministerial transparency?
sheeprunner12 3 years, 11 months ago
No justification for these promotions ………. strike 3, two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning against the FNM government ……… not looking good for them in 2022.
Well_mudda_take_sic 3 years, 11 months ago
If our new supreme ruler is allowed to have his way, there will be no national election in 2022 or at anytime soon thereafter.
DDK 3 years, 11 months ago
The signs are not good, Mudda.......
happyfly 3 years, 11 months ago
You are all absolutely right. This is a classic step towards a totalitarian regime. Am starting to think the 'medical advisors' that the Doc keeps referring to are communist Chinese. The same folks that donated millions of dollars in anti-riot gear a few years ago to a suspiciously peaceful nation
Well_mudda_take_sic 3 years, 11 months ago
Bingo!
BONEFISH 3 years, 11 months ago
The police force was top -heavy according to a report ordered by the current minister of national security.
This current promotion exercise makes no sense.You now have 23 chief superintendents when you only need 11.Do the politicians think about the fiscal state of the country when they make these decisions? 45 superintendents really?
There are other agencies of the government who have not any promotion exercises in several years.
This version of the FNM is just like the PLP in many regards.
TalRussell 3 years, 11 months ago
Wait for it ma comrade Boney, what be's if it's even worse than it looks?
Say if out the 68 promoted, 13 could be nearing being retirement furlong on accumulative carry forward chunks unused years earned vacation time...with another 12 be nearing age mandatory retirement?
Out the remaining the 43, I'm certain a further investigation can uncover other unused work benefits?
Also, it wouldn't be the first time that there were those dead person names included on list appointments authorized by OPM? Not making this dead names on the list, up...I Swear!
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