POLICE officers await feedback from the Ministries of Finance and Labour over compensation for officers on extended work shifts.
In response to criticisms leveled by the Police Staff Association, Commissioner of Police Ellison Greenslade charged that officers will remain on 12-hour work shifts “for as long as it takes”.
Mr Greenslade revealed that the police force is spending more than $100,000 to feed officers on the new shift schedule, and dismissed threats of legal action from its staff association over the new shift policy.
He added that his decision was lawful, and that he would not be dictated to.
Police Staff Association Dwight Smith yesterday confirmed that the group had not yet filed legal action over concerns against the 12-hour shift.
Earlier this month, PSA chairman Smith wrote a letter to Prime Minister Perry Christie requesting a meeting to discuss compensation for officers who were put on a 12-hour shift in early September in an attempt to get crime under control.
In compliance with labour regulations, Mr Smith said the association will give Ministry of Finance has two weeks to outline what compensation the government will give officers.
Last week a group of pastors called on officers to put the good of the country above their own interests and give full support to the new 12-hour work shift policy.
Comments
bismark 11 years, 1 month ago
for those who were slacking off all along get up off your backsides and do something!for those who were working all along keep up the good work!
TalRussell 11 years, 1 month ago
The Commish due away with calling it a temporary work shift which could last up to another two years. Many Police Forces operating on several different shifts but one he might consider implementing wound be regular 12 hour shifts'
Shift #1 - 6am to 6pm
Shift #2 - 6pm to 6am
Alternating 3 days one week (36 hours) and 4 the next (48 hours).
positiveinput 11 years, 1 month ago
How would increasing the work time for the officers decrease crime when all is happening is the same slack officers have a longer time to practice their slackness. The other day I called 911 when leaving the P.I. bridge and was put on hold. Still being on hold I reached the Wulf Road Police Station, where I just reported the incident there.
ThisIsOurs 11 years, 1 month ago
Excellent point. Throwing money and resources at a problem makes everyone feel good, is usually ineffective and is no substitute for a well thought out strategy. If the argument is that most murders are conducted by persons known to the police a better strategy might focus on quality of the prosecutors, quality of police investigators, winning strategies for prosecutions, a better prison, one geared to rehabilitating the prisoners capable of rehabilitation. Innovative Education initiatives, people are without hope, without education it is harder to work your way up, easier to resort to rich quick criminal methods.
Too early to make an argument that this brute force strategy is working, it would be stretching the bounds of reason. Remember the pounding of the desks in Parliament when BJN announced that urban renewal 2.0 was working? And here we are today.
banker 11 years, 1 month ago
Having the police work 12 hour shifts is like have the fire department go out and spray all of the houses with water regularly to prevent fires.
The root cause of crime is poverty, unemployment, under education, and lack of legitimate opportunity. Canada has a murder rate of 1.74 per hundred thousand. If we had that, we would have 8 or less murders a year in all of the Bahamas. We are over ten times that.
Having the police on the street for 12 hours will do nothing for the crime rate.
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