The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

POLICE motorcyclist Steven Duncombe had been promoted to sergeant months before the crash that killed him, but never got to wear his new rank, Commissioner of Police Shanta Knowles revealed at his funeral yesterday.

Ms Knowles said the promotion took effect on July 1, 2026, although it was not announced until October 2, after his death.

"He earned it while he lived," Ms Knowles said. "He did not have that opportunity to celebrate with his family."

Members of the Royal Bahamas Police Force, government officials, family, friends and members of the public filled the Diplomat Center to remember Sgt Duncombe as a dedicated officer whose professionalism, warmth and commitment to service left a lasting impression.

Long lines formed as mourners waited to view him as he lay in repose. In one of the most emotional moments of the service, his mother, overcome with grief, embraced her son in his coffin and wept.

Duncombe, 37, died from injuries sustained in a traffic collision on Prince Charles Drive on September 12. Police said officers were alerted to the crash shortly before 2pm and found a police motorcycle extensively damaged and Duncombe seriously injured.

A member of the Traffic Division, he joined the force in 2011, at the age of 21, and went on to earn commendations and take on greater responsibility. At the time of his death he was serving in the police escort service, guiding officials, including the Prime Minister, safely through the streets.

Ms Knowles described his death as one of the most difficult moments of her career, saying some losses are beyond what any title, training or experience can prepare a person for. She said she stood before the congregation not only as commissioner, but as the leader of a force that had lost a colleague, partner, friend and brother.

"We loved him," Ms Knowles said. "We respected him. We depended on him."

She described Duncombe as a skilled officer with a gift for connecting with people and turning ordinary moments into memorable ones, and recalled the long hours and conversations they shared when he escorted her.

"He was doing what he loved," she said, "and he did it every day with pride — serving someone else, protecting someone else, helping someone else reach their destination."

Ms Knowles urged officers to let Duncombe's death remind them of the human beings beneath their uniforms, and promised his family that he would be remembered.

"Steven, you have completed your final ride," she said. "You have finished your assignment. Your brothers and sisters will carry on. Your family will carry on. And this country will remember you."