The Tribune

By DANA SMITH dsmith@tribunemedia.net BOARD elections for the Police Staff Association begin at 9am today. The function of the association, formed by Act of Parliament, is to "consider" matters affecting the "corporate welfare and efficiency" of officers, including pay, pensions and conditions of service, according to its official website. Current executive chairman Dwight Smith said: "We know the tedious work that's called for and we know what we have to do. We're not just representing persons in the association but there's a lot of issues that we deal with and a lot of things we would negotiate that is for the whole Royal Bahamas Police Force." In this year's elections, the association is looking for people who can advance its effort to "bring to the attention of the various governments any conditions of service we feel they need to address," Mr Smith said. More than 2,200 members can cast their votes for any of the 58 nominees vying for 33 positions. There are 23 nominees for the 14 seats on the constable board; 17 nominees for the 10 seats on the corporal board; 14 nominees for the six seats on the sergeant board, and four nominees for the three inspector board seats. After the branch board members are elected, these bodies choose the executive board. Mr Smith said the whole exercise should be completed by January 23 and he encouraged every member of the association to vote. Votes can be cast from 9am to 5pm at Police Headquarters on East Street, the Police Training College on Thompson Blvd and at the Staff Association headquarters on Bank Lane. The Grand Bahama voting location is the Police Staff Association office. Family Island members can vote at their local administration office.