The Tribune

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas Department of Corrections (BDOC) has expanded its senior leadership with the appointment of seven new assistant commissioners, one of whom was honoured posthumously.

Among those appointed is the late Bradley Rahming, a long-time corrections officer who passed away late last year after serving for more than two decades. The other appointees include Gregory Williams, Philip Hanna, Stephanie Pratt, Monique Greenslade, Rolean Forbes, and Foster Ferguson. All were promoted from the rank of chief officer and joined the existing complement of four assistant commissioners of corrections.

Commissioner of Corrections Doan Cleare made the announcement during a staff ceremony held on Thursday, describing the appointments not as traditional promotions but as strategic placements based on leadership needs and personal recommendations to the minister of national security and the prime minister.

Mr Cleare paid a deeply personal tribute to Mr Rahming, calling him a loyal and hardworking officer who served 21 years as a principal corrections officer without complaint or promotion until shortly before his death.

“He never complained, never even talked about it. He did his work religiously,” Mr Cleare said, recounting how he promised Mr Rahming that he would one day be made assistant commissioner.

“Even in the grave, he’s assistant commissioner,” he added.

Minister of National Security Wayne Munroe, KC, applauded the appointments and the department’s ongoing reforms. Mr Munroe added that the prime minister has emphasised two pillars of the national crime plan as being especially important — prevention and rehabilitation — and pointed out that BDOC is deeply engaged in both.

He said that the work done by correctional officers is often overlooked because they operate behind the walls of the prison, unlike their counterparts in the police or defence force.

While specific portfolios for the new assistant commissioners have been assigned, the full list will not be made public until next week. Mr Cleare acknowledged the heavy workload previously carried by a handful of senior officers, noting that the restructuring will allow for more balanced distribution of responsibilities.

Mr Munroe also addressed a long-standing frustration within the public service: the slow pace of promotions. He

candidly admitted that during his time as minister, several officers were only promoted posthumously due to bureaucratic delays.

“It is a crying shame that the strictures of the Public Service have resulted in the promotion of, I think, three or four correctional officers, and it ended up being posthumously,” Mr Munroe said. “Because you start when the person is alive, and the public service process takes so long that sometimes people pass away before they can get the rank.”

He acknowledged the tragic nature of that reality, noting that, at the very least, the retroactive nature of promotions allows the estates of deceased officers to benefit.

Looking ahead, Mr Cleare announced plans to appoint three more assistant commissioners as part of the department’s transition plan. He acknowledged his impending retirement and stated that the appointments were part of ensuring a capable and well-structured leadership team for the future.