The Tribune

By SANCHESKA BROWN

Tribune Staff Reporter

sbrown@tribunemedia.net

POLICE Staff Association President Dwight Smith is in police custody assisting them with their investigation into claims of sexual harassment, The Tribune understands.

Detectives believe Mr Smith has information that is relevant to their investigations.

The Tribune understands the claims surround a civilian female employee at the Police Staff Association.

Mr Smith has been agitating for overtime pay for officers that worked the 12-hour shift system last year.

In December, Mr Smith said his members are “concerned” that every other union and organization in the Bahamas can get their needs met by the government, but the PSA “hasn’t even been invited to the table”.

 He said it has been months with no word from the Prime Minister or the Minister of Finance over the organisation’s concerns.

The association has been calling for compensation for the officers who were on a 12-hour work day schedule. Mr Smith has also threatened to sue over reimbursement, to which Prime Minister Perry Christie said “he was well within his rights to do so”.

However, after months of agitating, Mr Smith said they are not getting anywhere by trying to negotiate through the proper channels. They are now tired of being patient.

“We believe that a promise is a comfort to a fool, but at least those persons have been getting some promises. We see all these headlines about double-dipping, then persons were able to get a meeting. Then there were issues with bonuses in the paper and all of a sudden people were able to get bonuses and here is the police, who did a lot of work and want compensation, and we still haven’t gotten around the table as yet, we feel as though something is very wrong with that. This is not an attack on the government or anyone, it’s just to say that we are human beings, we feel that we play a very important role in this country as police officers and when there is an issue we feel as if we encourage persons to actually sit around the table to discuss their issues instead of taking it on the street and fighting. We feel then that we ought to have an opportunity to sit around the table and talk about our issues.”

Mr Smith said if they do not get a meeting with the government before this month, they will take legal action.